By Thea Singer
http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Less-Science-Shows-Rejuvenate/dp/B004J8HXRM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303237640&sr=1-1
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
Let me explain what led me to review this book, and you will see, if it hasn’t been obvious previously, the qualities—for me—that make a great book. First, I looked the author’s credentials: 30 years of writing about health and science, writer for The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The Boston Herald. Contributor to Natural Health and The Nation, among others.
For the second thing that led me to review this book, I looked at her “Selected Bibliography,” which occupies 44 pages of the book and which is filled with high quality books, sophisticated journals (e.g., Scientific American, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, The Journals of Gerontology, Tends in Cognitive Sciences, Human Ecology, Psychology and Aging, among many other outstanding resources). Each source was presented with impeccable accuracy. This book truly represents outstanding research.
Singer’s writing skill, too, is succinct, contagious, engaging, and easy to read and comprehend. This is not an erudite scientific treatise but a warm, friendly book written to and for readers. Her examples are excellent and well described, her targeted tests at the beginning of each chapter in the book (8 total) are scientifically proven measures of assessment and offer ways at the end of each one to calculate and interpret your score.
This is, indeed, the kind of book to which I am attracted. It offers valuable, scientific, information in a digestible manner. There is some technical material, to be sure, as the following sentence will attest:
“What the two discovered was the enzyme telomerase, which synthesizes telomeric DNA, dabbing additional repeats of the TTAGGG sequence onto shortening telomere ends, making up for the ones that get lost during division or otherwise . . .” (p. 45).
She goes on, however, to fully explain such information and even drives her points home in a climatic fashion: “Do not be surprised if someday soon your doctor orders a telomere-length or telomerase-level test along with—or perhaps even in place of—the current blood tests run for your yearly physical” (p. 45).
Singer’s chapter titles, “The Old Science of Stress,” “The New Science of Stress,” “Your Brain on Stress,” “Stress and Diet,” “Stress and Exercise,” “Stress and the Mind,” “Stress and Social Support,” and “Stress and Sleep,” reveal the comprehensiveness of this book as well as the practical applications she discusses.
Even though Singer wrote this book especially for women, most of the topic apply to men as well since it all relates to having a healthy lifestyle and doing those things that will make and keep you healthy.
This is an outstanding book—well-research, well-written, and well-presented. You cannot help but be affected in some way by her examples, her knowledge, and her information. Five stars out of five!
Stress less: The new science that shows women how to rejuvenate the body and mind can be purchased at Amazon.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being
By Martin E. P. Seligman
http://www.amazon.com/Flourish-Visionary-Understanding-Happiness-Well-being/dp/1439190755
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
For this book, Seligman has 49 pages of notes, a 28-page index, and a 22-page appendix (“Signature Strengths Test”). Out of a 349-page book, tat leaves 241 pages of text material.
The book is divided into two parts, “A New Positive Psychology,” and “The Ways to Flourish,” and each part has five chapters. The first five chapters cover, 1) What is well-being?, 2) Creating your happiness, 3) The dirty little secret of drugs and therapy, 4) Teaching well-being, and 5) Positive education: Teaching well-being to young people. The final five chapters cover 6) GRIT, Character and Achievement, 7) Army Strong: Comprehensive soldier fitness, 8) Turning trauma into growth, 9) Positive physical health, and 10) The politics and economics of well-being.
Seligman begins by saying, “This book will help you flourish” (p. 1), and to support his point throughout the book, he uses “careful science: statistical tests, validated questionnaires, thoroughly research exercises, and large, representative samples” (p. 1). “In contrast to pop psychology and the bulk of self-improvement,” he continues, “my writings are believable because of the underlying science” (p. 1).
Those readers who are looking for a quick recipe that will help them flourish may be disappointed. It is a similar disappointment to those readers who read Edgar Willis’s How to be funny on purpose (And Then Some, 2005) looking for a quick formula for being funny. Both books have extraordinary depth and breadth in addition to offering what readers may be seeking.
I write all of the above information so you, the reader, will know what you are getting when you purchase this book. What I have not as yet said, however, is that Seligman is a terrific writer. You can easily and quickly become engrossed with the detailed stories he writes. If you are at all interested in the influence of editors on a writer’s works or how a research scientist changes positions, his Chapter 1, “What is Well-Being” provides details.
Regarding his change of positions, he writes about Senia Maymin, a student in his master’s level “Introduction to Positive Psychology” class, who challenged his point of view. He writes, “Beginning in that October class in Huntsman Hall, I changed my mind about what positive psychology is. I also changed my mind about what the elements of positive psychology are and what the goal of positive psychology should be” (p. 12).
Now, as a lay reader with little background in psychology, all of this information about his theory and how his theory changed may be boring. I, however, found it riveting. That may be because I took a number of psychology classes, that I use many of the psychological-research findings in my writings, or, too, I am a college-textbook writer who is constantly faced (by my textbook reviewers) with challenges to the ideas I write about. It is just such challenges that cause me to re-think and even alter what I write.
Those of you who have a life characterized by well-being or who have read a great deal of well-being literature (there are numerous possible sources in the “Notes” section of this book), may not find a whole lot of information, suggestions, or well-being prompts that are new here—although reminders and reinforcements aren’t bad! I found the exercises interesting and fun.
I found Seligman’s explanations about his research engaging. Most readers may, too, find his descriptions lengthy and a bit tedious; that is why it can be stated clearly—just as Seligman warned in Chapter 1—this is not a pop psych book. But, if you enjoy a deep-reading experience, if you find pleasure in looking behind the scenes, and if you relish the musings of a research scientist, you will love this book. Just look at this one sentence alone: “Psychotherapy and drugs as they now are used are half baked” (p. 53). What he argues here is that they may remove the disabling conditions of life, but they seldom build the enabling conditions of life (p. 53).
This is truly a book for serious readers. The way, for example, he analyzes the philosophy and approach of Wittgenstein, Popper, and Penn (pages 56-62), discusses the ingredients of applied positive psychology (pages 66-69), the Penn Resilency Program (PRP) (pp. 81-85), what intelligence is (pp. 106-114), GRIT–or the combination of very high persistence and high passion for an objective--- (pages 115-124), are excellent instances of when seriousness is necessary. There are many such examples.
There is no doubt that serious readers will find this book interesting—even captivating (from his heavy use of engaging examples alone). It makes a valuable contribution and may well serve as another benchmark (in addition to his book Authentic Happiness, 2002), in the pursuit of those precise ingredients that allow us to understand happiness and well-being.
Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being can be purchased at Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Flourish-Visionary-Understanding-Happiness-Well-being/dp/1439190755
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
For this book, Seligman has 49 pages of notes, a 28-page index, and a 22-page appendix (“Signature Strengths Test”). Out of a 349-page book, tat leaves 241 pages of text material.
The book is divided into two parts, “A New Positive Psychology,” and “The Ways to Flourish,” and each part has five chapters. The first five chapters cover, 1) What is well-being?, 2) Creating your happiness, 3) The dirty little secret of drugs and therapy, 4) Teaching well-being, and 5) Positive education: Teaching well-being to young people. The final five chapters cover 6) GRIT, Character and Achievement, 7) Army Strong: Comprehensive soldier fitness, 8) Turning trauma into growth, 9) Positive physical health, and 10) The politics and economics of well-being.
Seligman begins by saying, “This book will help you flourish” (p. 1), and to support his point throughout the book, he uses “careful science: statistical tests, validated questionnaires, thoroughly research exercises, and large, representative samples” (p. 1). “In contrast to pop psychology and the bulk of self-improvement,” he continues, “my writings are believable because of the underlying science” (p. 1).
Those readers who are looking for a quick recipe that will help them flourish may be disappointed. It is a similar disappointment to those readers who read Edgar Willis’s How to be funny on purpose (And Then Some, 2005) looking for a quick formula for being funny. Both books have extraordinary depth and breadth in addition to offering what readers may be seeking.
I write all of the above information so you, the reader, will know what you are getting when you purchase this book. What I have not as yet said, however, is that Seligman is a terrific writer. You can easily and quickly become engrossed with the detailed stories he writes. If you are at all interested in the influence of editors on a writer’s works or how a research scientist changes positions, his Chapter 1, “What is Well-Being” provides details.
Regarding his change of positions, he writes about Senia Maymin, a student in his master’s level “Introduction to Positive Psychology” class, who challenged his point of view. He writes, “Beginning in that October class in Huntsman Hall, I changed my mind about what positive psychology is. I also changed my mind about what the elements of positive psychology are and what the goal of positive psychology should be” (p. 12).
Now, as a lay reader with little background in psychology, all of this information about his theory and how his theory changed may be boring. I, however, found it riveting. That may be because I took a number of psychology classes, that I use many of the psychological-research findings in my writings, or, too, I am a college-textbook writer who is constantly faced (by my textbook reviewers) with challenges to the ideas I write about. It is just such challenges that cause me to re-think and even alter what I write.
Those of you who have a life characterized by well-being or who have read a great deal of well-being literature (there are numerous possible sources in the “Notes” section of this book), may not find a whole lot of information, suggestions, or well-being prompts that are new here—although reminders and reinforcements aren’t bad! I found the exercises interesting and fun.
I found Seligman’s explanations about his research engaging. Most readers may, too, find his descriptions lengthy and a bit tedious; that is why it can be stated clearly—just as Seligman warned in Chapter 1—this is not a pop psych book. But, if you enjoy a deep-reading experience, if you find pleasure in looking behind the scenes, and if you relish the musings of a research scientist, you will love this book. Just look at this one sentence alone: “Psychotherapy and drugs as they now are used are half baked” (p. 53). What he argues here is that they may remove the disabling conditions of life, but they seldom build the enabling conditions of life (p. 53).
This is truly a book for serious readers. The way, for example, he analyzes the philosophy and approach of Wittgenstein, Popper, and Penn (pages 56-62), discusses the ingredients of applied positive psychology (pages 66-69), the Penn Resilency Program (PRP) (pp. 81-85), what intelligence is (pp. 106-114), GRIT–or the combination of very high persistence and high passion for an objective--- (pages 115-124), are excellent instances of when seriousness is necessary. There are many such examples.
There is no doubt that serious readers will find this book interesting—even captivating (from his heavy use of engaging examples alone). It makes a valuable contribution and may well serve as another benchmark (in addition to his book Authentic Happiness, 2002), in the pursuit of those precise ingredients that allow us to understand happiness and well-being.
Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being can be purchased at Amazon.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Retirement: breakthrough: The safe, secure way to guaranteed income you can’t outlive — in any economy
By Dick Duff
http://www.amazon.com/Retirement-Breakthrough-Guaranteed-Outlive-Economy/dp/1608320251
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
This is a terrific book.
It is true that it has a direct application to where I currently am in life, and relevancy is important when reviewing books, but Duff really speaks directly to readers with thorough explanations, explicit details, easy-to-understand examples, and material that has to impact almost everyone in life — those just graduating from college, beginning a professional career, nearing retirement, of already retired.
Now, I have to admit, I am not an economist, a CPA, a financial advisor, a banker, or anyone else in possession of information like this. What that means is simple: Much of this information was new to me. I’ve done little investigation on my own, and I have dumped my SEP (self-employed pension) into one account, and I let my investment advisor guide me in what to do every time money becomes available. That is precisely why I found much of this information eye-opening and worthwhile. I plan to make use of Duff’s suggestions at my earliest convenience (whenever that occurs!).
Before embarking on this book, let me advise readers with one insight: There are lots and lots and lots of numbers here. There were times when I had a hard time following all of Duff’s mathematics; however, with greater concentration, and given more time, I am certain I can master his information. It really isn’t that complex, it just requires some time to allow it all to digest.
What I especially enjoyed was Duff’s frankness and honesty. He wasn’t afraid to tell you what not to do, which were bad moves to make, or unwise decisions and investments.
Duff’s forty-five years of professional experience as a financial and estate planner becomes clear early in the book. I think, too, that if readers are interested in taking control of their retirement income, that is, that their retirement income comes on time all the time, then this book is a “must read.”
You will not only learn how much retirement income you are going to need — the formula is provided and sample calculations are offered — but you will learn how to withdraw money from life insurance policies, use annuities to optimize retirement income, make maximum use of assets you already have, as well as shelter your income from unwanted claimants and unnecessary taxes. Duff’s ideas are solid, explained effectively, and what we all need.
If it isn’t obvious already, I highly recommend this book. It is well-written. There are moments of humor, and the author’s personality comes across in a delightful, quiet manner. He includes additional resources as well as a state-by-state asset protection guide. And the book is comprehensive and thorough. Having never read any other finance book or related material, I have nothing with which to compare this book, but I think this one may become a benchmark in this field.
Retirement: breakthrough: The safe, secure way to guaranteed income you can’t outlive — in any economy can be purchased at Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Retirement-Breakthrough-Guaranteed-Outlive-Economy/dp/1608320251
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
This is a terrific book.
It is true that it has a direct application to where I currently am in life, and relevancy is important when reviewing books, but Duff really speaks directly to readers with thorough explanations, explicit details, easy-to-understand examples, and material that has to impact almost everyone in life — those just graduating from college, beginning a professional career, nearing retirement, of already retired.
Now, I have to admit, I am not an economist, a CPA, a financial advisor, a banker, or anyone else in possession of information like this. What that means is simple: Much of this information was new to me. I’ve done little investigation on my own, and I have dumped my SEP (self-employed pension) into one account, and I let my investment advisor guide me in what to do every time money becomes available. That is precisely why I found much of this information eye-opening and worthwhile. I plan to make use of Duff’s suggestions at my earliest convenience (whenever that occurs!).
Before embarking on this book, let me advise readers with one insight: There are lots and lots and lots of numbers here. There were times when I had a hard time following all of Duff’s mathematics; however, with greater concentration, and given more time, I am certain I can master his information. It really isn’t that complex, it just requires some time to allow it all to digest.
What I especially enjoyed was Duff’s frankness and honesty. He wasn’t afraid to tell you what not to do, which were bad moves to make, or unwise decisions and investments.
Duff’s forty-five years of professional experience as a financial and estate planner becomes clear early in the book. I think, too, that if readers are interested in taking control of their retirement income, that is, that their retirement income comes on time all the time, then this book is a “must read.”
You will not only learn how much retirement income you are going to need — the formula is provided and sample calculations are offered — but you will learn how to withdraw money from life insurance policies, use annuities to optimize retirement income, make maximum use of assets you already have, as well as shelter your income from unwanted claimants and unnecessary taxes. Duff’s ideas are solid, explained effectively, and what we all need.
If it isn’t obvious already, I highly recommend this book. It is well-written. There are moments of humor, and the author’s personality comes across in a delightful, quiet manner. He includes additional resources as well as a state-by-state asset protection guide. And the book is comprehensive and thorough. Having never read any other finance book or related material, I have nothing with which to compare this book, but I think this one may become a benchmark in this field.
Retirement: breakthrough: The safe, secure way to guaranteed income you can’t outlive — in any economy can be purchased at Amazon.
Monday, June 4, 2012
The moral landscape: How science can determine human values
By Sam Harris
http://www.amazon.com/Moral-Landscape-Science-Determine-Values/product-reviews/1439171211/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
There are several things you need to know about this book before picking it up. First, the book “is based, in part, on the dissertation [Harris] wrote for [his] Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles” (p. 193). That suggests the sophistication of the material, approach, language, and argument.
The second thing you need to know is that there are forty pages of small-font “References.” This is fairly typical (perhaps a bit more than normal for most) for a dissertation. Also, there are forty pages of small-font “Notes” as well. In other words, this is a highly researched, highly documented work. Harris is well-grounded in both research and theory. That leaves (out of 291 pages total) only 191 pages of text (argument).
The third thing you need to know before picking up this book is that, in addition to Harris’s dissertation committee at UCLA, “several outside scholars and scientists reviewed early drafts of this book. Paul Churchland, Daniel Dennett, Owen Flanagan, and Steven Pinter read the text, in whole or in part, and offered extremely helpful notes” (p. 194). Also, a few sections of the book were read by an even larger circle of scientists and writers: including Jerry Coyne, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Owen Flanagan, Anthony Grayling, Christopher Hitchens, and Steven Pinker” (p. 194). Why is this important? It adds credibility to Harris’s argument, and, as Harris himself notes, “. . . with friends like these, it has become increasingly difficult to say something stupid” (p. 194).
R. Dale of California gave the book two stars out of five at Amazon.com, and his main point is well taken: “It's not a compelling read for someone of my intellect and I have a Masters degree. It may be great for a PHD candidate in philosophy but not for the other 99% of us.” I found the book challenging, and following the development of Harris’s argument is formidable but stimulating. Although it may take effort to stay with it, the effort has a wonderful and rewarding result — acceptance of the daring but brilliant and provocative thesis that religions should NOThave a monopoly on morality. Remember, he wrote his dissertation for a group of neuroscientists at UCLA, and prior to obtaining his Ph.D., Harris obtained a degree in philosophy as well. So, you could easily ask, what would you expect from a philosophical neuroscientist?
I am one convinced by Harris’s position and argument (that science can be used to explain morality), but what I liked most about this book is watching such a gifted person present his ideas and develop his position. If you like academese, if you like reading a scholar present sophisticated ideas, and if you like reading provocative (mind-stretching) material, this is an ideal choice. This is not an arm- or rocking-chair book, it is instead a straight-back, hard-seat, old, rough, oak, schoolroom chair.
I truly believe that the arguments are cogent, well-reasoned, and well-clarified by Harris. They are there and plain to see if everyone (or anyone?) can be open-minded enough to understand, and these ideas are hard to refute. Also, I found the latest neurological research in human behavior interesting and informative, and I firmly believe, based on the well-reasoned and well-developed argument Harris presents, that such research, and its findings, are clearly superior to religious dogma as a basis for moral clarity. Of course, for me, that doesn’t require a high level of sophistication to prove. For me, it is clear at face value, but Harris does such a brilliant job of presenting the case.
This book is revolutionary — groundbreaking --- and it has the true potential of changing the moral landscape, if it hasn’t done so already. If nothing else, it will challenge you to think, but if it has the impact Harris hopes, it will change the way you think. He says, “This book was written in the hope that as science develops, we will recognize its applications to the most pressing questions of human existence. For nearly a century, the moral relativism of science has given faith-based religion — that great engine of ignorance and bigotry — a nearly uncontested claim to being the only universal framework for moral wisdom. . . . few people seem to recognize the dangers posed by thinking that there are no true answers to moral questions” (p.191). The last line of the book reads, “And I am convinced that merely admitting this [that there is a way to know about meaning, morality, and values in principle] will transform the way we think about human happiness and the public good” (p. 191).
The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values can be purchased at Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Moral-Landscape-Science-Determine-Values/product-reviews/1439171211/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
There are several things you need to know about this book before picking it up. First, the book “is based, in part, on the dissertation [Harris] wrote for [his] Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles” (p. 193). That suggests the sophistication of the material, approach, language, and argument.
The second thing you need to know is that there are forty pages of small-font “References.” This is fairly typical (perhaps a bit more than normal for most) for a dissertation. Also, there are forty pages of small-font “Notes” as well. In other words, this is a highly researched, highly documented work. Harris is well-grounded in both research and theory. That leaves (out of 291 pages total) only 191 pages of text (argument).
The third thing you need to know before picking up this book is that, in addition to Harris’s dissertation committee at UCLA, “several outside scholars and scientists reviewed early drafts of this book. Paul Churchland, Daniel Dennett, Owen Flanagan, and Steven Pinter read the text, in whole or in part, and offered extremely helpful notes” (p. 194). Also, a few sections of the book were read by an even larger circle of scientists and writers: including Jerry Coyne, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Owen Flanagan, Anthony Grayling, Christopher Hitchens, and Steven Pinker” (p. 194). Why is this important? It adds credibility to Harris’s argument, and, as Harris himself notes, “. . . with friends like these, it has become increasingly difficult to say something stupid” (p. 194).
R. Dale of California gave the book two stars out of five at Amazon.com, and his main point is well taken: “It's not a compelling read for someone of my intellect and I have a Masters degree. It may be great for a PHD candidate in philosophy but not for the other 99% of us.” I found the book challenging, and following the development of Harris’s argument is formidable but stimulating. Although it may take effort to stay with it, the effort has a wonderful and rewarding result — acceptance of the daring but brilliant and provocative thesis that religions should NOThave a monopoly on morality. Remember, he wrote his dissertation for a group of neuroscientists at UCLA, and prior to obtaining his Ph.D., Harris obtained a degree in philosophy as well. So, you could easily ask, what would you expect from a philosophical neuroscientist?
I am one convinced by Harris’s position and argument (that science can be used to explain morality), but what I liked most about this book is watching such a gifted person present his ideas and develop his position. If you like academese, if you like reading a scholar present sophisticated ideas, and if you like reading provocative (mind-stretching) material, this is an ideal choice. This is not an arm- or rocking-chair book, it is instead a straight-back, hard-seat, old, rough, oak, schoolroom chair.
I truly believe that the arguments are cogent, well-reasoned, and well-clarified by Harris. They are there and plain to see if everyone (or anyone?) can be open-minded enough to understand, and these ideas are hard to refute. Also, I found the latest neurological research in human behavior interesting and informative, and I firmly believe, based on the well-reasoned and well-developed argument Harris presents, that such research, and its findings, are clearly superior to religious dogma as a basis for moral clarity. Of course, for me, that doesn’t require a high level of sophistication to prove. For me, it is clear at face value, but Harris does such a brilliant job of presenting the case.
This book is revolutionary — groundbreaking --- and it has the true potential of changing the moral landscape, if it hasn’t done so already. If nothing else, it will challenge you to think, but if it has the impact Harris hopes, it will change the way you think. He says, “This book was written in the hope that as science develops, we will recognize its applications to the most pressing questions of human existence. For nearly a century, the moral relativism of science has given faith-based religion — that great engine of ignorance and bigotry — a nearly uncontested claim to being the only universal framework for moral wisdom. . . . few people seem to recognize the dangers posed by thinking that there are no true answers to moral questions” (p.191). The last line of the book reads, “And I am convinced that merely admitting this [that there is a way to know about meaning, morality, and values in principle] will transform the way we think about human happiness and the public good” (p. 191).
The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values can be purchased at Amazon.
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