Redford Williams, MD in his book Lifeskills, reviews the research on the connection between relationships and health. The bad news is that the worse your relationships are, the worse your health is likely to be. Studies have found five psychosocial risk factors that tend to cluster together and affect health and the quality of one’s relationships with other people. They are:

Hostility

Depression

Social isolation

High job strain

Low socioeconomic status

The good news is that improving your relationship skills can reduce social isolation, reduce hostility, improve your mood, and can also change your perception of job stresses. The case can even be made that when you improve the way you relate to others, your chances for promotion and an increase in income also improve.