The Rabbit Effect by Kelli Harding

THE RABBIT EFFECT by Kelli Harding describes how to “Live Longer, Happier, and Healthier with the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness.” Harding, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and emergency room doctor, sought to explore the question: “What are we missing in medicine that’s crucial to health?” and was inspired to write this book by a 1978 study which showed that rabbits who were treated more kindly by attendants had better health outcomes, despite being fed the same high-fat diet as others. Harding traces work that supports the holistic view that “a person’s health occurs in a social context that cannot be ignored” and argues that “two halves [medicine and public health] needed unification with a common language” since “the vast majority, 80 to 90 percent, of people’s health depends on factors outside clinical care.” Her book spends several chapters discussing hidden factors (for example, in our intimate relationships, our work, our education and neighborhoods) as well as the essentials of health, both individually and collectively. In a very accessible style, Harding recounts numerous scientific experiments and other anecdotes; raising questions (e.g., if genetics are fixed, why was love changing personality?) and offering “toolkit” suggestions for action by her readers. Although THE RABBIT EFFECT has no index, Harding does include almost 30 pages of source notes. This encouraging text will be of interest to AP Psych classes, perhaps to some of our anatomy students, and also relevant to this year’s professional development on social emotional learning, especially in conjunction with other titles like The War for Kindness or The Telomere Effect.  

Epstein's Range, Karlgaard's Late Bloomers, and Boaler's Limitless Mind

One of our faculty members is a close, personal friend of David Epstein (The Sports Gene) and this teacher is extremely enthusiastic (as he should be) about Epstein’s latest non-fiction work: RANGE: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Epstein is an engaging writer who begins by contrasting the stories of Tiger and Roger – showing that Woods (the early specialist) and Federer (a generalist) achieved dominance in their sports through different philosophies.  Epstein continues by citing examples and academic studies involving music, mathematics, education, science and medicine – essentially giving his readers some broad and general exposure to his thesis. He describes participants of one study who “were perfectly capable of learning from experience, but failed at learning without experience. And [yet] that is what a rapidly changing, wicked world demands – conceptual reasoning skills that can connect new ideas and work across contexts.” Epstein repeatedly points out that frustration actually means that you are learning. RANGE has been favorably reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Guardian and The Atlantic. I highly recommend that you add it to your reading list. Epstein has made me want to do some more exploring of the concepts (like Fermi thinking) and resources (like University of Washington’s course on Calling Bullshit) that he mentions, particularly in regards to the application for our students’ Junior Theme research. If you are looking for more ideas to stretch your mind, consider also the recent list of summer reads for educators recommended on Edutopia.

“The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement” is the subtitle for LATE BLOOMERS by Rich Karlgaard which one of our administrators has been strongly recommending. There is a great deal to discover in Karlgaard’s writing and beyond; he shares numerous anecdotes and devotes roughly a quarter of the text to notes and sources. He begins by looking at the potential consequences of how we measure and focus on achievement, especially for young people: “when so many people believe they are inferior based on a few narrow measurements made when they were children, society as a whole suffers.” Karlgaard then shifts to a chapter on the strengths of Late Bloomers: curiosity, compassion, resilience, equanimity, insight, and wisdom are all illustrated with numerous inspirational examples. One memorable quote comes from a global consultant named Don Peppers who says, “Not being curious is not only intellectually lazy, but it shows a willful contempt for the facts. If you don’t want to know the truth about something, then how moral can you claim to be?” Karlgaard also mused about the idea that almost everyone seemed to self-identify as a late bloomer and that perhaps some of the current, painful political discourse is a result of people feeling “unacknowledged, unappreciated and disrespected.” He encourages employers to take advantage of that potential, parents to “enjoy your children as they are” and for educators to better meet the needs of late bloomers. This past May, Karlgaard wrote a feature essay (adapted from his book) called “It’s Never Too Late to Start a Brilliant Career” in The Wall Street Journal where he cited many examples including the recently deceased Toni Morrison who “published her first novel, The Bluest Eye, at 39 and won a Pulitzer Prize for Beloved at 56 and the Nobel Prize in Literature five years later.” Reading LATE BLOOMERS may cause you to re-evaluate the path to long-term happiness for yourself and others.  

LIMITLESS MIND by Jo Boaler encourages us to “Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers.” Boaler is the Nomellini-Olivier Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford University, and the faculty director of youcubed.  As you can see from that website, much of her work has focused on mathematics and students in the K-8 range. However, the soon to be released LIMITLESS MIND has application across ages. Boaler first debunks damaging assumptions that limit confidence and willingness to try new things. Using a fairly academic tone, she discusses neuroplasticity and then outlines six keys that deal with our growth journey, the value of mistakes, relationships between beliefs and health, multiple ways of learning, importance of creativity and flexibility over speed, and importance of connections. I especially liked this last section where she discusses how “part of the reason students give up on learning is because they find it difficult and think they are alone in their struggle.” Boaler stresses the importance of working together so that student realize that “for everyone learning is a process and that obstacles are common.” Just as I encourage my student researchers to be sure they use a variety of sources (who will they invite to that metaphorical dinner party?), Boaler also notes that “connecting with another person’s idea both requires and develops a higher level of understanding.” Her examples for schools to encourage community involvement are practical, including a profile of Shane Feldman, founder of Count Me In movement. LIMITLESS MIND is filled with inspirational stories and is worth a look as we continue to grow and “think differently.” As Boaler says, “we are all learning all the time.” 

Aging: Elderhood and Choosing Joy

Here’s a quick review with comments on two books which deal with aging:

Louise Aronson wrote ELDERHOOD in order to share her views about “Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, and Reimagining Life.” Aronson is a geriatrician and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.  She freely admits that “this book doesn’t always walk a straight line from here to there” and I did find it to be rather rambling.  Plus, since I had a digital preview (with no index and limited formatting), I found added difficulty in following her flow. However, her tone is conversational and comforting as she describes embracing a universal trajectory with a “third act:” childhood, adulthood and then elderhood, “the longest, most varied period of our lives.” Aronson’s writing is absolutely filled with stories and observations from her own life, and that of her patients and others. Just a smattering of examples would be her “summer of sickness” as a nine-year-old with a ruptured appendix at a sleep-away camp or comments on Bruce Springsteen’s view of turning old despite his almost daily three hours of highly physical entertaining in his mid-sixties.  Near the end of the text Aronson presents a care paradigm with an outline of ten assumptions (e.g., medicine and healthcare, while often used interchangeably, are not equivalent). It seems that she is inviting reflection and more research. Throughout, she offers a new perspective and acknowledges “powerful thinkers [who] have created an enormous body of work on old age that should have far more influence on our aging lives and policies.” Aronson’s text is both fact- and story-based, with about ten percent devoted to notes. ELDERHOOD received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, with the later labeling it “one of the best accounts around of the medical mistreatment of the old.”

CHOOSING JOY by Helene Berger is subtitled “Alzheimer's: A Book of Hope” and was inspired by the unanticipated positive results Berger’s husband achieved after his diagnosis of Alzheimer's. Berger says her “goal is to give hope and offer concrete suggestions.” The book is divided into sections titled Foundations (background and acknowledgment of shifting roles), Practical Approaches (Acceptance, an Active Mind, Creating a Healthy and Safe Environment) Interaction with Others (Aides, Doctors, Self-Care), and Looking Back (reflecting on the Power of Love). Berger notes that this text in no way implies similar success for other caregivers. However, reviews by caregivers are universally positive and appreciative of the helpful, hopeful insights which Berger relays. They comment on Berger’s belief, developed during her six years as a caregiver, to “fight the disease; embrace the journey” as a new perspective for being a caregiver. Her message is to regard this diagnosis as “another life opportunity to learn and to grow – to learn that we always have options, even if it’s only the attitude we bring to conditions that we would do anything to change.” She is frank and open in her writing, sharing hard-earned wisdom and saying, “CHOOSING JOY chronicles my real life experiences: the tears, the frustration, the uncertainty, the many mistakes, as well as the successes.” 

NOTE: SHIELD is the new acronym: S - Sleep; H - Handle Stress; I - Interact with Others; E - Exercise; L - Learn New Things; D - Diet