The World's Best Book Summaries
What is the difference between placebo and nocebo? To what extent do a patient’s beliefs about medical treatment influence its outcome? Placebo is the healing effect conferred by a fake medical treatment. Nocebo, on the other hand, is the opposite of placebo—whereby the negative beliefs about a medical treatment produce ill health effects. Here’s a look at the psychology behind placebo and nocebo.
Does plastic ever degrade? Have we taken care of the CFC problem? What’s the worst byproduct of modern living? Garbage leaves a mark on our planet. That’s because much of our modern garbage never leaves the planet. In The World Without Us, science journalist Alan Weisman addresses the problem head-on. He explores the impact of waste on the environment and identifies the major culprits we need to tackle. Read more to learn what Weisman discovered in his investigation.
How does stress affect your health? What happens in your body when you’re stressed? In the modern world, most stress isn’t related to a real threat or danger. Rather, it is self-inflicted through negative thinking and worrying. However, it can still have a destructive effect on your health. Here’s how stress affects your health, according to physician Lissa Rankin.
Why do so many people feel lonely and isolated despite being more connected than ever before? How does loneliness affect one’s mental health? Loneliness not only has deleterious effects on our mental health, but it also affects our physical health by stimulating the stress response. This, in turn, sets off a chain of reactions that can lead to physical illness. Here’s how loneliness and chronic isolation can make you sick.
How does overworking affect your health? Can you really die from working too much? Owerwoking and burnout are very common in today’s fast-paced society. It may be good for the economy, but it can wreak serious havoc on one’s health and even kill. Here’s a look at the health effects of overworking.
Did you read The Body Keeps the Score? How well did you internalize the concepts? Experiences such as abuse, a severe car accident, and wartime combat can lead to a lifetime of flashbacks, nightmares, isolation, insomnia, hypervigilance, and rage. In The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk explores how diagnosing and treating trauma has evolved. Keep reading for nine The Body Keeps the Score quizzes that test your knowledge of the book.
Did you read The Body Keeps the Score? Are you looking for some questions that will generate thoughtful discussion? We tend to think of trauma in its most extreme forms, such as PTSD. But nearly everyone is likely to either suffer from trauma or know someone who does. In The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk explains that the physiological toll can be tremendous. Read on for The Body Keeps the Score discussion questions that will help you understand and internalize the book’s ideas and apply them where appropriate.
What does overthinking mean? Where does overthinking come from? Nick Trenton’s book Stop Overthinking discusses the harm overthinking does to our bodies and minds. A little bit of stress can be healthy, but when you’re constantly thinking about an event and worrying over it, you need to take a step back and reevaluate. Keep reading to learn more about overthinking and its origins.
What role does your social life play in your health and well-being? Why is it important to surround yourself with the right people? Having a social life is an important factor in one’s mental and physical well-being. But it’s not just being around people that matters. To reap the psychological benefits of socializing, you must surround yourself with the right people. Here’s a look at the importance of social life and some tips for cultivating enriching and emotionally fulfilling relationships.
Why are we so stressed as a society? How does chronic stress affect mental health? As a result of the fast pace of modern life, we endure a lot of ongoing, chronic stress. According to physician Lissa Rankin, the author of Mind Over Medicine, chronic stress stands behind the modern mental health epidemic of anxiety and depression. Here’s how chronic stress drives the mental health epidemic plaguing societies today.