Synopses & Reviews
Why do optimists have lower blood pressure and heightened immunity? Why have studies found asthmatics breathe easier after writing down traumatic events? And how is it that good relationships are a buffer against everything from heart disease to the common cold, and religious observance so often goes hand in hand with longevity?
In his cutting-edge and compelling Emotional Longevity, one of America's most prominent behavioral science leaders bridges the two poles of recent scientific research-biological and behavioral science-to formulate a new paradigm of what it means to be healthy. It is far more than genetics, diet, or exercise. Far more than the mere absence of disease. More multifaceted even than the now-established mind/body link. Emotional Longevity maps out the life-long web of scientifically proven connections between biology and social environment, biology and beliefs, biology and emotions. Dr. Norman Anderson illustrates the crucial links between the existential and the physical in dozens of lives, from his own and his family's to those of figures such as Maya Angelou, Wally "Famous" Amos, and Linda Ellerbee. And he shows readers how to orchestrate this interplay in themselves-the key to surviving illnesses, disasters, or traumas, living life to the fullest, and aging successfully.
Synopsis
In this cutting-edge work, one of America's most prominent behavioral science leaders bridges the two poles of recent scientific research--biological and behavioral science--to formulate a new paradigm of what it means to be healthy.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [289]-317) and index.
About the Author
Norman B. Anderson, Ph.D., is a professor at Harvard University's School of Public Health. Previously he was the first associate director of the National Institutes of Health for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, and was associate professor of Social and Health Sciences at Duke University.
P. Elizabeth Anderson is an award-winning writer and is currently the health and fitness writer for the Providence Journal.
Table of Contents
Contents Preface and Acknowledgments, vii
Introduction: Emotional Longevity: Toward a New Definition of Health, 1
PART I: Thoughts and Actions 1:
Expectations, Explanations, and Beliefs, 15
Chapter 1: Expectations and Explanations, 21
Chapter 2: Is Optimism Always Good? Is Pessimism Always Bad?, 36
Chapter 3: The Power of Beliefs and Illusions, 43
PART II: Thoughts and Actions 2:
Concealing and Revealing Trauma, 61
Chapter 4: Silence, Secrets, and Lies: The High Price of Concealment and Avoidance, 69
Chapter 5: Emotional Disclosure: The Remarkable Benefits of Opening Up, 81
PART III: Environment and Relationships: Social Immunity, 101
Chapter 6: Healing Bonds, 107
Chapter 7: Mixed Blessings: The Complexity of Social Relationships, 136
PART IV: Personal Achievement and Equality: Learning, Earning, and Surviving, 147
Chapter 8: Beyond Obelisks: The Mystery of the Gradient, 153
Chapter 9: Beyond Individual Achievement: Inequality and Race1, 77
PART V: Faith and Meaning: Existential, Religious, and Spiritual Dimensions of Health, 187
Chapter 10: From Trauma to Meaning, 193
Chapter 11: The Health Benefits of Finding Meaning, 204
Chapter 12: Faith, Meaning, and Longevity, 211
PART VI: Connections-to Emotions, to the Future, 235
Chapter 13: Emotional Connections, 241
Chapter 14: Emotions as "Connective Tissue", 260
Chapter 15: Connecting to the Future, 268
Notes, 273
Bibliography, 289
Index, 319