Health and Well-Being

"Loneliness has been described as a chronic disease with no redeeming features. But it is very important for the survival of our species. It contributes to our humanity." —John Cacioppo Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction: The Roseto mystery 2:26 The social neuroscience perspective 4:08 Loneliness induces short-term self-preservation 5:17 Loneliness is contagious 6:35 Conclusion: A public health crisis References: - John Cacioppo: The growing problem of loneliness - Malcolm Gladwell: Outliers: The Story of Success - Stephanie Cacioppo et al: Toward a Neurology of Loneliness Image: Nighthawks by Edward Hopper

"It may be said without hesitation that for man the most important stressors are emotional." —Hans Selye Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction: Obligatorily gregarious 1:26 Homeostasis 2:13 Why zebras don’t get ulcers 3:33 The stress response: fight or flight 4:34 Inescapable stress induces learned helplessness 5:32 The role of oxytocin: tend and befriend 7:30 Touch starvation 8:26 Conclusion: Displaced aggression References: - Christopher Ryan: Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress - John Cacioppo and William Patrick: Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection - Robert Sapolsky: Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers - Robert Sapolsky: The Influence of Social Hierarchy on Primate Health - James W. Prescott: Body Pleasure and the Origins of Violence Image: Office in a Small City by Edward Hopper

"Human beings were never designed for the poorly nourished, sedentary, indoor, sleep-deprived, socially isolated, frenzied pace of twenty-first-century life." —Stephen Ilardi Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction: Mismatch diseases 3:14 Affluenza? 6:00 Cultural neuroscience: the role of serotonin 7:50 Conclusion: Therapeutic Lifestyle Change References: - Loren Cordain et al: Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century - Sebastian Junger: Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging - Brandon Hidaka: Depression as a disease of modernity: Explanations for increasing prevalence - Joan Chiao and Katherine Blizinsky: Culture–gene coevolution of individualism–collectivism and the serotonin transporter gene - Stephen Ilardi: The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs Image: Simple Pleasures by Mark Henson

"When we feel lonely, people may see us as aloof, less than empathic, socially insensitive, perhaps even ungenerous, when, deep down, what's really going on is that our cognition and self-regulation are being distorted by fear." —John Cacioppo Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction: An age of anxiety 0:50 The aetiology of social anxiety 2:45 Social baseline theory 4:23 Social isolation leads to short-term self-preservation 6:05 Social isolation increases the predicted cost of the environment 7:39 Conclusion: Perceived social isolation makes us anxious References: - Murray B. Stein and Dan J. Stein: Social anxiety disorder - Joan Chiao and Katherine Blizinsky: Culture–gene coevolution of individualism–collectivism and the serotonin transporter gene - Lane Beckes and James A. Coan: Social Baseline Theory: The Role of Social Proximity in Emotion and Economy of Action - John Cacioppo et al: Social isolation Image: The Desperate Man by Gustave Courbet

"If youth only knew; if age only could." —Henri Estienne Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction: Men age like wine? 1:43 Lifespan vs healthspan 3:38 Metabolic dysfunction 5:54 Diet 7:53 Exercise 9:34 Sleep 11:24 Social fitness References: - Peter Attia: Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity - Christopher Ryan: Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress - Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz: The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Study on Happiness Image: American Gothic by Grant Wood