Book excerpt: The Science of Compassionate Love is an interdisciplinary volume that presents cutting-edge scholarship on the topics of altruism and compassionate love. The book Adopts a social science approach to understanding compassionate love Emphasizes positive features of social interaction Encourages the appropriate expression of compassionate love both to those in intimate relationships and to strangers Includes articles by distinguished contributors from the fields of Psychology, Sociology, Communication Studies, Family Studies, Epidemiology, Medicine and Nursing Is ideal for workshops on compassionate love, Positive Psychology, and creating constructive interactions between health professionals and patients