Interactions with other human beings—in particular, emotional interactions—affect our biological functioning in myriad and subtle ways almost every moment of our lives. They are important determinants of health, as we will see throughout this book. Understanding the intricate balance of relationships among our psychological dynamics, our emotional environment and our physiology is crucial to well-being. “This may seem odd,” wrote Selye. “You may feel that there is no conceivable relationship between the behaviour of our cells, for instance in inflammation, and our conduct in everyday life. I
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