46 minutes | Monday, July 29, 2024
Humans are social animals dependent on others for their well-being. Humans have evolved the basic need for social connection because it is vital to our survival. Our relationships with family members, romantic partners, coworkers, and yes, animal companions, can affect endocrine function, immune function and nervous system activity. And those systems are linked to leading causes of illness and death, including cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases and cancer. Understanding relationships at the biological level could help give a clearer picture of the ways that social connections can impair or protect one’s health.