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Why Good Things Happen to Good People: The Exciting New Research that Proves the Link Between Doing Good and Living a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life

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Authors: Stephen Post, Jill Neimark
Creator: Reverend Otis Moss Jr.
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$23.95~~
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New (9) Used (36) from $3.59

Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.9

ISBN: 0767920171
Dewey Decimal Number: 177.7
EAN: 9780767920179
ASIN: 0767920171

Publication Date: May 8, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Pages are clean, tight, and unmarked. Dust jacket has only minor shelf wear. Full refund if not satisfied. Fast ship.

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
pbA longer life. A happier life. A healthier life. Above all, a life that matters#8212;so that when you leave this world, you#8217;ll have changed it for the better. If science said you could have all this just by altering one behavior, would you?brbr/bDr. Stephen Post has been making headlines by funding studies at the nation#8217;s top universities to prove once and for all the life-enhancing benefits of caring, kindness, and compassion. The exciting new research shows that when we give of ourselves, especially if we start young, everything from life-satisfaction to self-realization and physical health is significantly affected. Mortality is delayed. Depression is reduced. Well-being and good fortune are increased. In their life-changing new book, iWhy Good Things Happen to Good People/i, Dr. Post and journalist Jill Neimark weave the growing new science of love and giving with profoundly moving real-life stories to show exactly how giving unlocks the doors to health, happiness, and a longer life. brbrThe astounding new research includes a fifty-year study showing that people who are giving during their high school years have better physical and mental health throughout their lives. Other studies show that older people who give live longer than those who don#8217;t. Helping others has been shown to bring health benefits to those with chronic illness, including HIV, multiple sclerosis, and heart problems. And studies show that people of all ages who help others on a regular basis, even in small ways, feel happiest. bribrWhy Good Things Happen to Good People/i offers ten ways to give of yourself, in four areas of life, all proven by science to improve your health and even add to your life expectancy. (And not one requires you to write a check.) The one-of-a-kind #8220;Love and Longevity Scale#8221; scores you on all ten ways, from volunteering to listening, loyalty to forgiveness, celebration to standing up for what you believe in. Using the lessons and guidelines in each chapter, you can create a personalized plan for a more generous life, finding the style of giving that suits you best. brbrThe astonishing connection between generosity and health is so convincing that it will inspire readers to change their lives in ways big and small. Get started today. A longer, healthier, happier life awaits you./p

Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Beneficial November 25, 2008
The importance of this book is difficult to overstate. If what it claims is true, which it proves with its fairly numerous references to scientific findings, then anyone can learn to increase their own quality of life while helping other people at the same time. In essence, the concept of giving to others in order to live more strongly and fully is directly opposite to many ideas philosophers, scientists, and others have of the core requirement of survival. Instead of competing against others to survive and fighting to ensure one gets enough for oneself before giving to others, the authors' findings show that the complete contrary will bring stronger life: one survives, lives, and thrives better when one gives to others first, even if the gift is something the giver needs as well (in fact, especially so). Although this concept may be difficult to embrace at first, the numerous examples of the enormous benefits of giving, especially health benefits, such as higher numbers of antibodies and increased white blood cell activity, quickly assure the reader that generosity is indeed one of, if not the, healthiest lifestyles available to a person. br / The book is important also because of the depth in which it explores different aspects and forms of generosity, some of which are categories readers may not have thought of as specifically characteristic of giving (such as celebration, courage, humour, and creativity). In addition to providing evidence that these areas are beneficial to explore and experience, the authors also provide many specific ways to try giving in the areas--ways that turn out to be surprisingly varied and unique from each other. With the ten ways of giving, the three categories of receivers being family, friends, community members, and all of humanity, the book claims forty different ways in which giving can be approached. Add to these the many ideas and examples layered throughout the book and the result is myriad ways of giving to choose from, ranging across difficulty, interest, talent, position, and ability levels. This wealth of resources excites and encourages instant experimentation with any shade of giving. br / Another of the most important elements of the book is the abundance of quotes and tales of other people's experiences in giving and receiving, from philosophers, burn victims, teachers, parents, volunteers, the elderly, and nurses, to the disabled, writers, spouses, comedians, photographers, inmates, and firemen. Such a collection of inspirational stories is worthwhile in itself, but combined with the insight of the authors, who bring out the elements of giving and its results in their analyses of the stories, the experiences of so many people from so many different times and places in life is memorably eye-opening. Instead of simply philosophising about how the science of giving might match up with ten areas of life and make the giver happier, the book shows how giving has altered specific people's lives without them even having known it would. The heartfelt accounts of the pure beauty of love, which is actually `not love until you give it away (189),' is the awakening spur the book needs to prompt readers to realise the power of these new discoveries of the effects of giving.br / Although the book would be a complete and convincing account with these three main elements--the research, ways in which to apply it, and the experiences of those who have--an extra element that also helps engage the reader is the inclusion of quizzes on the ten ways of giving. Although these are somewhat repetitive (basically restating the same questions in the areas of family, friends, community, and humanity), and arguably do not offer any precise or encouraging information on how to change or assess oneself (the questions sometimes seem too specific or exclusive in order to cover the taker's entire outlook on an area), they do encourage active and critical thinking about how one perceives the areas of giving and whether one should increase giving any of the forms. They are also useful for engaging the reader in active participation in the ideas, which adds to the application of the book's findings to the real life of the reader. br / Overall, the usefulness of Why Good Things Happen to Good People is unusually significant, and it has an almost urgent applicability to life today. The more people that come in contact with its simple and yet profound insight the better--its central thesis, `give and be happier (285),' if applied, has the potential to drastically and dramatically change our world for an astounding better. br /

4 out of 5 stars

Great content but the worst edited book I've ever read August 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The author has a very straight forward way of organizing and explaining a plethora of studies indicating that doing good results in both emotional and physical benefits for the giver. I liked the self-assessment questionaires at the end of each chapter where I discovered where I stand relative to the ten dimensions and four domains. I was surprised with the results since some conflicted with my own self-image. Fortunately, Dr Post suggests specific exercises I could use to become a more giving person.br /I have the hardcover edition published by Broadway Books in New York. Whoever edited this book must have been asleep! To start, the cover is upside down relative to the contents. There are literally dozens of word usage errors. It appears the editor did not even read the manuscript but relied only on a spell checker. I have never read a book where I was stopped so often in mid sentence by an incorrect word. For example, one sentence describes people who "meditated" and in the following sentence they are referred to as "mediators". In the overview at the beginning of the book Dr Post indicates there are ten dimensions of giving, but that chapter only previews the last nine dimensions. Fortunately there is a full chapter for each of the ten dimensions. br /The research, ideas, and practical application are both thought provoking and motivating. I was annoyed that such great material was so often interrupted with editing and production oversights.

4 out of 5 stars

Motivational material June 25, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Good reading. I recommend this book for anyone interested in improving their living conditions and interactions with others.

1 out of 5 stars

More silliness March 14, 2008
2 out of 9 found this review helpful

I sure don't see what the hype here was about. br /br /I saw this book as falling into the same fallacious thinking as "The Secret" and all those books that want us to believe in some kind of magical thinking premise. It's the same sort of fallacy that has some evangelicals proclaiming that God wants you to be rich, and thus if you're rich it proves you're virtuous. br /br /It's nonsense. If you want to argue that "Good deeds" cause you to get paid back in some way with good fortune of your own, then you're forced to also conclude that bad fortune results because you're a bad person. This is not only nonsense, but cruel nonsense.br /br /Of course there are reasons for being moral and compassionate and doing good. But it's not because we expect things in return. It's because such a life is its own reward.

5 out of 5 stars

The Real Secret to Life - Giving November 17, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I am generally not one to quarrel with titles of books....I read for substance. But, I believe this title undersells the profound wisdom of this very fine book.br /br /This book is all about "giving." A much more apt title would have been something along the lines of Bill Clinton's recent book "Giving, How Each of Us Can Change the World."br /br /We live in an instant gratification, "what is in it for me?" world. This book is a powerful antidote. br /br /Potential readers looking for a "me" centered prescription for success and happiness will undoubtedly be disappointed in this book. Head instead for the "Secret."br /br /Those who believe in the importance of giving will find this a most useful manual for incorporating a giving orientation into everything we do, each and every day.br /br /This book should be recognized as one of the best self help books of 2007. Regretfully, it isn't likely to be such because of a cover and title that paints it as academic. But, I am off to do my part to get this book more widely known. We need to get the word out. (Imagine if everyone who bought the Clinton book also read this gem!)br /br /To Steve Post and Jill Neimark, my sincere thanks for writing a wonderful book. You have given us a gift and by doing so role modeled the power of giving.br /

Copyright 2007 White Hat Communications.
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