EMOTIONAL LONGEVITY：What Really Determines How Long We Live（心境决定寿命）

Anderson, CEO of the American Psychological Association, believes in a new approach to health as a way to understand longevity. Instead of the traditional view of physical health, Anderson says the interaction of six "well-being" factors-biological, psychological, behavioral, economic, religious/spiritual and emotional-can explain the differences in longevity. He argues that there must be a scientific explanation for why some people recover from serious illness such as a heart attack while other patients remain disabled. According to Anderson, this multifaceted approach goes beyond the increasing acceptance of nontraditional medicine; it is an entirely new way to approach life, with specific medical support. Much of the book focuses on exploring the six factors and how they play out in everyday life. Anderson discusses his mother's battle with cancer and its impact on his life. He also profiles others-author Reynolds Price and journalist Linda Ellerbee-who have overcome illness or adversity and used these challenges to change their lives. Anderson's background as associate director of the National Institutes of Health for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research lends authority to the research support, and the work is more inclusive than many other popular psychology books on changing and improving one's life. Readers willing to take the time to understand Anderson's concepts will find the book worthwhile.

Book Description
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.

From Publishers Weekly
Anderson, CEO of the American Psychological Association, believes in a new approach to health as a way to understand longevity. Instead of the traditional view of physical health, Anderson says the interaction of six "well-being" factors-biological, psychological, behavioral, economic, religious/spiritual and emotional-can explain the differences in longevity. He argues that there must be a scientific explanation for why some people recover from serious illness such as a heart attack while other patients remain disabled. According to Anderson, this multifaceted approach goes beyond the increasing acceptance of nontraditional medicine; it is an entirely new way to approach life, with specific medical support. Much of the book focuses on exploring the six factors and how they play out in everyday life. Anderson discusses his mother's battle with cancer and its impact on his life. He also profiles others-author Reynolds Price and journalist Linda Ellerbee-who have overcome illness or adversity and used these challenges to change their lives. Anderson's background as associate director of the National Institutes of Health for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research lends authority to the research support, and the work is more inclusive than many other popular psychology books on changing and improving one's life. Readers willing to take the time to understand Anderson's concepts will find the book worthwhile.

Book Dimension
length: (cm)23.8 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)16.1

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.

Figure 1: The Dimensions of Our Health
Figure 2: Acceptance and Survival Time in AIDS
Figure 3: Death Rates for Men and Women at DifferentLevels of Social Connections and at Different Ages
Figure 4: Percentage of Participants Sick at Midlife as a Function of Their Perception of Parental Caring35 Years Earlier
Figure 5: Relationship Between Emotional Support and Death
Figure 6: Social Network Diversity and Incidence of Colds
Figure 7: Social Capital and Mortality
Figure 8: Representation of the SEP/Health Gradient
Figure 9: Socioeconomic Position and Mortality in British Civil Servants
Figure 10: SEP and Severe Aortic Calcification
Figure 11: Relationship of Income Inequality to Age-AdjustedTotal Mortality Rates in the 50 U.S. States
Figure 12: Mortality Associated with Social and Religious Involvement
Figure 13: Ways by Which Religious Participation and Viewing Religion as Important May Affect Adjustment
Figure 14: Survival as a Function of Hostility Scores
Figure i5: Death Rates as a Function of Life Stress and Life Stress Plus Social Isolation
Figure 16: Association Between Psychological Stress and the Rate of Colds
Figure 17: Association Between Psychological Stress and the Rate of Viral Infections
Figure 18: Dimensions of Health as a Buffer Zone Between Adversity and Negative Emotions