“Well-being” and “optimal functioning” are not fanciful notions. They’re not abstract constructs of the imagination or ambitions that are too lofty for us to achieve. They are simply the things that make us feel well and do well in life. They are practical benefits. They are the difference between being excited to get up each day and being unable to drag yourself out of bed. They are the difference between feeling happy and feeling sad, between feeling capable and feeling incapable. And they are closely related to intimate relationships.

