A friend of mine recently had an unpleasant experience with someone who got angry at him for no apparent reason. He asked me why I thought some people seem to make a career out of getting mad at the drop of a careless sentence or misread facial expression.

I told him that I didn’t think it was all that complicated, and that the answer lies in a simple, eight-letter word: neurosis. To which he replied, “So what should I do about this guy if he’s neurotic?”

I explained that it’s not his job to try to understand what makes a neurotic person tick, and that he should tend to his own business and let the medical professionals handle the matter. Best to just write it off as one of those great mysteries of life.

When someone’s nose gets out of joint because you may have unthinkingly said “boo” to him, prudence dictates that you start heading in the opposite direction — unless, of course, you’re the curious type. But do remember that curiosity killed the cat.