Chapter 16-18 Summary and Analysis

Summary: Through the first four sections of the book, Goleman has championed the idea of social intelligence as the key to a healthy and fulfilling life. In many respects part five, Healthy Connections, acts as his final argument to his main point. In this section Goleman suggests that having adequate social intelligence will not only make your life more enjoyable, but it will actually improve your health.

In the first chapter of this section Goleman looks at all the social causes that lead to stress. Stress causes the adrenaline glands to release cortisol, a hormone the body releases during emergencies. While cortisol secretion is a necessary component for a healthy body, if the body has too much of it and can reek havoc on the immune system. There is an endless amount of data that shows a correlation between...