Positive relationships are essential to human well-being.

More than two thousand years ago Aristotle used a term that is still in wide use in psychology today: eudaimonia. It refers to a state of deep well-being in which a person feels that their life has meaning and purpose. It is often contrasted with hedonia (the origin of the word hedonism), which refers to the fleeting happiness of various pleasures.

admire but don’t embarrass; guide but don’t control; release but don’t abandon.

A teenager needs us to: Hold but don’t baby;

relationships. The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest (mentally and physically) at age 80.

Instead, it is the quality of your relationships that matters. Simply put, living in the midst of warm relationships is protective of both mind and body.