did-you-know? rent-now

Rent More, Save More! Use code: ECRENTAL

did-you-know? rent-now

Rent More, Save More! Use code: ECRENTAL

5% off 1 book, 7% off 2 books, 10% off 3+ books

9780670031856

Emotional Longevity What REALLY Determines How Long You Live

by ;
  • ISBN13:

    9780670031856

  • ISBN10:

    0670031852

  • Format: Hardcover
  • Copyright: 2003-03-10
  • Publisher: Viking Adult
  • Purchase Benefits
  • Free Shipping Icon Free Shipping On Orders Over $35!
    Your order must be $35 or more to qualify for free economy shipping. Bulk sales, PO's, Marketplace items, eBooks and apparel do not qualify for this offer.
  • eCampus.com Logo Get Rewarded for Ordering Your Textbooks! Enroll Now
List Price: $24.95

Summary

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 Longevitymaps 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.

Author Biography

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

Preface and Acknowledgmentsp. vii
Introduction: Emotional Longevity: Toward a New Definition of Healthp. 1
Thoughts and Actions 1: Expectations, Explanations, and Beliefsp. 15
Expectations and Explanationsp. 21
Is Optimism Always Good? Is Pessimism Always Bad?p. 36
The Power of Beliefs and Illusionsp. 43
Thoughts and Actions 2: Concealing and Revealing Traumap. 61
Silence, Secrets, and Lies: The High Price of Concealment and Avoidancep. 69
Emotional Disclosure: The Remarkable Benefits of Opening Upp. 81
Environment and Relationships: Social Immunityp. 101
Healing Bondsp. 107
Mixed Blessings: The Complexity of Social Relationshipsp. 136
Personal Achievement and Equality: Learning, Earning, and Survivingp. 147
Beyond Obelisks: The Mystery of the Gradientp. 153
Beyond Individual Achievement: Inequality and Racep. 177
Faith and Meaning: Existential, Religious, and Spiritual Dimensions of Healthp. 187
From Trauma to Meaningp. 193
The Health Benefits of Finding Meaningp. 204
Faith, Meaning, and Longevityp. 211
Connections--to Emotions, to the Futurep. 235
Emotional Connectionsp. 241
Emotions as "Connective Tissue"p. 260
Connecting to the Futurep. 268
Notesp. 273
Bibliographyp. 289
Indexp. 319
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Excerpts

IntroductionEmotional Longevity: Toward a New Definition of Health The greatest compliment I have ever received came from my mother, in her last words, on the last day of her life. She said, "You are becoming just like me." As a son I've often pondered the meaning and significance of what she said, as I've pondered her long and vital life. What did it mean to be just like her? I will perhaps never fully understand the meaning she intended by her statement, but I do know that my mother possessed many characteristics worthy of emulation. Among the most impressive was the harmony of her moods, where anger or fear were rarely evident and sadness was short-lived, but where contentment, joy, and happiness were nearly ever present, even when external circumstances were less than uplifting. As a psychologist and a health researcher, I have also pondered how science could uncover what contributed to my mother's emotional symmetry, and her longevity, and make it available for everyone. To uncover in a sense what it means to be truly whole, in body, mind, and spirit, and package it for all. Although this is a tall order for science, I think we are actually getting close-closer than we've ever been before. This book is about a new revolution in health science that is getting us there, and in doing so is literally transforming what it means to be healthy and demonstrating how we can enhance the quality and length of our lives. These days when you hear about a revolution in health science, you are in all probability hearing about the genetics revolution, and for good reason. Genetics has already transformed biological science and has the promise to change the practice of medicine. But health science is also experiencing another revolution-one that is less publicized but is, in some respects, as complex and profound as the recent breakthroughs in genetics. This other revolution, like the one in genetics, is fueled by rigorous scientific methodology and advanced statistical analyses. But, unlike the genetics revolution, this one can be brilliantly illuminated in the lives of everyday people. People who have the kinds of lives most of us strive for-lives that are happy, fulfilled, confident, mentally engaged, and vital. These are people who are able to hold off sickness until the very end of long lives and who do not suffer through years of chronic illness. If illness comes, these are people who recover faster or who, like my mother, are able to maintain a sense of emotional and psychological well-being, and perhaps even grow from the experience. My mother, Lois Anna Jones Anderson, died in 1992 at the age of seventy-eight. Although she was ultimately claimed by cancer, the arc of her life and her senior years were characterized by strong health and vigor. For nearly fifty years she and my father served as copastors of a sizable Baptist church in North Carolina, making her one of the first women leaders of a large Southern congregation. Though leading a congregation was not always heaven on earth, my mother reveled in the rich and rewarding life of the church. It provided her an intellectual outlet, where she prepared weekly sermons and Bible-study lessons. Her personal relationships were broad and deep, not only with members of the church but also with many people in the community. These people provided her with a vast network of mutual support. My mother also had a very keen mind and loved to read on a variety of topics, but she especially loved books on spiritual matters. When she married my father, she had only finished high school, but she valued education so much that she squeezed in college courses between church duties and raising a family. She earned a bachelor's and a master's degree and was ultimately awarded an honorary doctorate in theology. My mother's life was not perfect, and she had her share of negative experiences. At the age of eight, she was dev

Rewards Program