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.
