Keltner and colleagues asked participants how many times in the previous month and on that very day they experienced up to twenty negative and positive emotions such as fear, anger, joy, surprise, etc. They also took saliva samples from the subjects and measured their levels of cytokine IL-6, a marker for inflammation. Part of the immune system, these signal molecules help heal wounds and fight illness. In healthy people, lower levels are considered better, while chronic high levels have been linked to depression, stress and poor muscle repair. Of all the positive emotions, experiencing awe
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