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The Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier, and Healthier with the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness
This groundbreaking and life-changing work based on the latest research effectively demonstrates “the profound impact that love, connection, and kindness have on our health” (Mark Williamson, PhD, director of Action for Happiness).
When Columbia University doctor Kelli Harding began her clinical practice, she never intended to explore the invisible factors behind our health. But then there were the rabbits. In 1978, a seemingly straightforward experiment designed to establish the relationship between high blood cholesterol and heart health in rabbits discovered that kindness—in the form of a particularly nurturing post-doc who pet and spoke to the lab rabbits as she fed them—made the difference between a heart attack and a healthy heart.
As Dr. Kelli Harding reveals in this eye-opening book, the rabbits were just the beginning of a much larger story. Groundbreaking new research shows that love, friendship, community, and our environment can have a greater impact on our health than anything that happens in the doctor’s office. For instance, chronic loneliness can be as unhealthy as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day; napping regularly can decrease one’s risk of heart disease; and people with purpose are less likely to get sick.
At once paradigm-shifting and empowering, The Rabbit Effect illuminates vital public health research showing kindness in our day-to-day lives can make the “world a healthier, happier place. I recommend this book highly for anyone who wants to live more healthfully” (Christy Turlington Burns, and CEO of Every Mother Counts).
When Columbia University doctor Kelli Harding began her clinical practice, she never intended to explore the invisible factors behind our health. But then there were the rabbits. In 1978, a seemingly straightforward experiment designed to establish the relationship between high blood cholesterol and heart health in rabbits discovered that kindness—in the form of a particularly nurturing post-doc who pet and spoke to the lab rabbits as she fed them—made the difference between a heart attack and a healthy heart.
As Dr. Kelli Harding reveals in this eye-opening book, the rabbits were just the beginning of a much larger story. Groundbreaking new research shows that love, friendship, community, and our environment can have a greater impact on our health than anything that happens in the doctor’s office. For instance, chronic loneliness can be as unhealthy as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day; napping regularly can decrease one’s risk of heart disease; and people with purpose are less likely to get sick.
At once paradigm-shifting and empowering, The Rabbit Effect illuminates vital public health research showing kindness in our day-to-day lives can make the “world a healthier, happier place. I recommend this book highly for anyone who wants to live more healthfully” (Christy Turlington Burns, and CEO of Every Mother Counts).
288 pages, Paperback
Published May 26, 2020
213 people are currently reading
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May 26, 2024
The Rabbit Effect is a fine book with several worthwhile points but the author lost a lot of credibility with me by titling her book after a very suspect and poorly designed rabbit study (why, yes, I did find and read the full text of the original study...you are welcome). The researchers were feeding rabbits unhealthy food in order to show a relationship between diet and cholesterol. At the end of the study, the researchers were surprised to discover a subset of rabbits that still had good heart health despite the poor diet. After some digging, they discovered that the research assistant in charge of these rabbits was "nicer" and petted and held the rabbits before feeding them. Kindness, they concluded, provides protection against cholesterol. But anyone who knows rabbits, knows that this conclusion is ridiculous. Rabbits are prey animals...so instinctually any time they are grabbed by another animal (aka held), they think they are about to be eaten. So a more plausible conclusion would be that experiencing sheer terror every day decreases cholesterol, not "kindness". Admittedly, rabbits bread and raised in captivity may prefer human contact to none (rabbits are social creatures, after all) but no preference assessments were conducted, so we have no way of knowing for sure. The researchers simply anthropomorphised the rabbits and assumed they liked being held. This annoys me to no end.
Then, comes the next chapter and the next bad animal research. The author discusses research on rats, and licking behavior. The more "loving" mothers lick their pups more, and less "loving" mother's lick their pups less. The pups of the "better" mothers were more docile and easier to handle. Again, it felt like the author was just anthropomorphising the rats rather than actually thinking what makes a good rat mother. There is no advantage to the rat if they are docile and easy to pick up, only advantages to the human researcher.
After that, gratefully the author stuck to human research, and she seems to better understand those. But I can't be sure and didn't have the time or interest to look up all the studies. SoI trusted her less because of the faulty conclusions in the studies mentioned. I did take away that naps are important and that you shouldn't stay at a job you don't like.
Then, comes the next chapter and the next bad animal research. The author discusses research on rats, and licking behavior. The more "loving" mothers lick their pups more, and less "loving" mother's lick their pups less. The pups of the "better" mothers were more docile and easier to handle. Again, it felt like the author was just anthropomorphising the rats rather than actually thinking what makes a good rat mother. There is no advantage to the rat if they are docile and easy to pick up, only advantages to the human researcher.
After that, gratefully the author stuck to human research, and she seems to better understand those. But I can't be sure and didn't have the time or interest to look up all the studies. SoI trusted her less because of the faulty conclusions in the studies mentioned. I did take away that naps are important and that you shouldn't stay at a job you don't like.
September 1, 2019
*HAPPY PUBLICATION DATE TO MY FAVORITE HEALTH AND WELLNESS BOOK!*
I’m so glad I went down this rabbit’s trail (pun intended). I’ve read gazillions of books about health and wellness and “The Rabbit Effect” transcends them all by demonstrating the healing power of GENUINE KINDNESS, backed up by hundreds of scientific studies which are explained in simple terms.
I think this book could convince even the most cynical of hermits that the key to living a long and healthy life is all about unselfish love, friendship, and connection. I’m neither cynical nor a hermit, but as an introvert (INFJ in the Myers Briggs personality type system), solitude is essential for “recharging my batteries”. When socializing, I’m a lightweight, quickly becoming “drunk on extraverting”, which requires going home and sleeping it off. Even so, I never felt that this book was pushing me out of my comfort zone. It advocates genuine caring and connection in whatever style works for you as an individual, with plenty of lovely ideas (most of which are quite introvert-friendly, I think) about little ways to share kindness and be open to receiving kindness from others.
So, about the fascinating rabbit experiment that inspired this book: in the late 1970s, a bunch of lab rabbits were fed the equivalent of a heart attack breakfast all day long, every day, for several months. At the end of the study, as expected, all the rabbits had high cholesterol levels. Then the rabbits’ blood vessels were examined and the researchers were shocked to find that one group of rabbits had 60 percent fewer fatty deposits than the others. Why the different results, when the rabbits had the same environment, same food, same everything? It turns out that all the healthy rabbits had been fed by Murina Levesque, “an unusually kind and caring individual”. Every time she fed her rabbits, she petted them, talked to them, and cuddled with them. Thinking this was probably a coincidence, the researchers repeated the experiment with a new group of rabbits and tightly controlled conditions, with the same result. All the rabbits fed and snuggled by Murina were healthy, and all the rabbits fed by others had advanced heart disease. “Take a rabbit with an unhealthy lifestyle. Talk to it. Hold it. Give it affection. And many adverse effects of diet disappear. The relationship made a difference.” Love is nature’s anti-inflammatory.
But what about those who have been victims of abuse or tragic events, in childhood or as adults? What about people who haven’t received the nurturing and kindness that is a fundamental right of human beings, the ones who are represented by the lab rabbits that weren’t fortunate enough to have a Murina to snuggle with them? Are they doomed to a short and miserable life? Not at all! This book is filled with realistic positivity and hope for every human in every circumstance. It explains that our state of health is constantly changing and that even our DNA isn’t chiseled in stone but rather is being amended and rewritten every day of our lives (the study of the amendments to our genes is called epigenetics). This flexibility that’s built into the human body means that we have the power to rewrite our story, metaphorically and literally. Therapeutic writing has physical and emotional healing power, confirmed by many scientific studies. For example, one study asked undergraduate students to write about their most traumatic and upsetting experiences and to pour out their deepest thoughts and feelings on paper. Their writing sessions lasted only twenty minutes, four days in a row. Six weeks later, the students’ blood tests showed improvements on serum markers of immune functioning and they reported better moods and less distress. So, yay for writing! Whether you decide to publish it, shred it, frame it, or burn it, writing is one of many ways to start a pattern of self-compassion and self-care that helps us open up to compassion and caring for others. “While we can’t change the past, we can help immunize ourselves against negative effects in the present through empathy, compassion, and emotional connection.”
I recommend this insightful, empowering, and life-changing book to every human being.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital advance review copy. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
I’m so glad I went down this rabbit’s trail (pun intended). I’ve read gazillions of books about health and wellness and “The Rabbit Effect” transcends them all by demonstrating the healing power of GENUINE KINDNESS, backed up by hundreds of scientific studies which are explained in simple terms.
I think this book could convince even the most cynical of hermits that the key to living a long and healthy life is all about unselfish love, friendship, and connection. I’m neither cynical nor a hermit, but as an introvert (INFJ in the Myers Briggs personality type system), solitude is essential for “recharging my batteries”. When socializing, I’m a lightweight, quickly becoming “drunk on extraverting”, which requires going home and sleeping it off. Even so, I never felt that this book was pushing me out of my comfort zone. It advocates genuine caring and connection in whatever style works for you as an individual, with plenty of lovely ideas (most of which are quite introvert-friendly, I think) about little ways to share kindness and be open to receiving kindness from others.
So, about the fascinating rabbit experiment that inspired this book: in the late 1970s, a bunch of lab rabbits were fed the equivalent of a heart attack breakfast all day long, every day, for several months. At the end of the study, as expected, all the rabbits had high cholesterol levels. Then the rabbits’ blood vessels were examined and the researchers were shocked to find that one group of rabbits had 60 percent fewer fatty deposits than the others. Why the different results, when the rabbits had the same environment, same food, same everything? It turns out that all the healthy rabbits had been fed by Murina Levesque, “an unusually kind and caring individual”. Every time she fed her rabbits, she petted them, talked to them, and cuddled with them. Thinking this was probably a coincidence, the researchers repeated the experiment with a new group of rabbits and tightly controlled conditions, with the same result. All the rabbits fed and snuggled by Murina were healthy, and all the rabbits fed by others had advanced heart disease. “Take a rabbit with an unhealthy lifestyle. Talk to it. Hold it. Give it affection. And many adverse effects of diet disappear. The relationship made a difference.” Love is nature’s anti-inflammatory.
But what about those who have been victims of abuse or tragic events, in childhood or as adults? What about people who haven’t received the nurturing and kindness that is a fundamental right of human beings, the ones who are represented by the lab rabbits that weren’t fortunate enough to have a Murina to snuggle with them? Are they doomed to a short and miserable life? Not at all! This book is filled with realistic positivity and hope for every human in every circumstance. It explains that our state of health is constantly changing and that even our DNA isn’t chiseled in stone but rather is being amended and rewritten every day of our lives (the study of the amendments to our genes is called epigenetics). This flexibility that’s built into the human body means that we have the power to rewrite our story, metaphorically and literally. Therapeutic writing has physical and emotional healing power, confirmed by many scientific studies. For example, one study asked undergraduate students to write about their most traumatic and upsetting experiences and to pour out their deepest thoughts and feelings on paper. Their writing sessions lasted only twenty minutes, four days in a row. Six weeks later, the students’ blood tests showed improvements on serum markers of immune functioning and they reported better moods and less distress. So, yay for writing! Whether you decide to publish it, shred it, frame it, or burn it, writing is one of many ways to start a pattern of self-compassion and self-care that helps us open up to compassion and caring for others. “While we can’t change the past, we can help immunize ourselves against negative effects in the present through empathy, compassion, and emotional connection.”
I recommend this insightful, empowering, and life-changing book to every human being.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital advance review copy. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
May 15, 2019
Great read. Accessible. Quick. Stimulating.
Interesting research- a few of the topics I have come across through TED talks on epigenetics, so that was cool. The author shared research and history on the discovery of telomeres and their role in life expectancy and disease tolerance, the role nurturing kindness and compassion play in the rate of healing, and the role of bias in doctor-patient interactions in particular toward marginalized communities, and these are just a few- there was a plethora of interesting, well summarized and easy to understand research.
The anecdotes were captivating and useful in reminding the reader of one of the key messages in the book: the importance of humanity and the HUMAN whole being behind medical situations.
The categories of WHOLE health or the hidden factors and the way it is broken down within each chapter, its level of importance in your health barometer and the suggestions made to begin addressing those areas in your life toward your betterment, was a great way to simplistically and accessibly frame the thinking about health as it relates to your overall life.
{1-1 relationship, your community/social ties, work/what you do, education/your purpose, neighborhood/physical area, fairness/treatment of others, and environmental influences/compassion.}
It was easy through the process of reading to see yourself in your day to day and wonder about your recognition of these factors as it relates to your own well being. It was a wonderful way to self-check and, if motivated, (I was), to create an action plan to make better decisions that would influence bettering my health overall.
Key takeaways:
* Decrease stress
* Live with purpose
* Check in with yourself and your well being- mind and body. Prioritize making adjustments where you can.
* JOY
* Build strong community/ support system
* Be kind- to everyone.
Interesting research- a few of the topics I have come across through TED talks on epigenetics, so that was cool. The author shared research and history on the discovery of telomeres and their role in life expectancy and disease tolerance, the role nurturing kindness and compassion play in the rate of healing, and the role of bias in doctor-patient interactions in particular toward marginalized communities, and these are just a few- there was a plethora of interesting, well summarized and easy to understand research.
The anecdotes were captivating and useful in reminding the reader of one of the key messages in the book: the importance of humanity and the HUMAN whole being behind medical situations.
The categories of WHOLE health or the hidden factors and the way it is broken down within each chapter, its level of importance in your health barometer and the suggestions made to begin addressing those areas in your life toward your betterment, was a great way to simplistically and accessibly frame the thinking about health as it relates to your overall life.
{1-1 relationship, your community/social ties, work/what you do, education/your purpose, neighborhood/physical area, fairness/treatment of others, and environmental influences/compassion.}
It was easy through the process of reading to see yourself in your day to day and wonder about your recognition of these factors as it relates to your own well being. It was a wonderful way to self-check and, if motivated, (I was), to create an action plan to make better decisions that would influence bettering my health overall.
Key takeaways:
* Decrease stress
* Live with purpose
* Check in with yourself and your well being- mind and body. Prioritize making adjustments where you can.
* JOY
* Build strong community/ support system
* Be kind- to everyone.
January 4, 2021
This book is full of psychological studies, theories, cases and goodies :)
Quality and quantity of education when you are young and throughout your life increases your lifespan and makes healthier telomeres. Also life purpose gives you longer life span too
Human and animal mothers and babies. Doctors can only do 10-20% impact on our health, it's our relationships, love and kindness that make or break our health.
Feeling safe and having less stress makes you live longer.
It's super important for the longevity and quality of a child to have proper love, care, nutrition, no stress when it's in the womb
Definitely worth a re-read and take notes
Quality and quantity of education when you are young and throughout your life increases your lifespan and makes healthier telomeres. Also life purpose gives you longer life span too
Human and animal mothers and babies. Doctors can only do 10-20% impact on our health, it's our relationships, love and kindness that make or break our health.
Feeling safe and having less stress makes you live longer.
It's super important for the longevity and quality of a child to have proper love, care, nutrition, no stress when it's in the womb
Definitely worth a re-read and take notes
January 16, 2025
shoutout Dr. Lauren and her book club ❣️❣️❣️
May 1, 2019
This book explains many of the hidden factors to health and disease that modern medicine doesn't routinely cover: social environment, easy access to nutritious food, work satisfaction and safety, family bonds, and environmental trauma. Kindness really can heal disease and prevent infections.
I liked how the information in this book was organized. The chapters have some good examples of real-life cases and scientific studies that prove how each component in a person's life strongly affects their health.
However, the author has a very leftist viewpoint, and holds up government-controlled health care as a desirable and efficient situation, even hinting that it apparently worked out so well for the British. And yet Britain is well-known for having a terrible health-care system.
The author also spends several pages talking about how unfair the "wage gap" is between men and women, and how that stress at work could affect women's health. And yet the "wage gap" has been proven over and over to be a hoax. Women tend to work fewer hours than men, and typically choose careers in lower-paying but more emotionally-rewarding jobs like teaching and social services.
( https://youtu.be/QcDrE5YvqTs )
So right away I lost all confidence in this author. If she's ignoring proven facts to promote a political agenda full of fabricated information, then I don't feel that I can trust much of what is written here.
There are a few good ideas about reducing stress in your life and forging connections with your social group, and I enjoyed reading about those good solutions. I liked that at the end of each chapter there are practical questions you can ask yourself about your life and stress levels, with suggestions on how to change things for the better.
I appreciated the basic message about health, but I didn't need the political fakery surround it.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
I liked how the information in this book was organized. The chapters have some good examples of real-life cases and scientific studies that prove how each component in a person's life strongly affects their health.
However, the author has a very leftist viewpoint, and holds up government-controlled health care as a desirable and efficient situation, even hinting that it apparently worked out so well for the British. And yet Britain is well-known for having a terrible health-care system.
The author also spends several pages talking about how unfair the "wage gap" is between men and women, and how that stress at work could affect women's health. And yet the "wage gap" has been proven over and over to be a hoax. Women tend to work fewer hours than men, and typically choose careers in lower-paying but more emotionally-rewarding jobs like teaching and social services.
( https://youtu.be/QcDrE5YvqTs )
So right away I lost all confidence in this author. If she's ignoring proven facts to promote a political agenda full of fabricated information, then I don't feel that I can trust much of what is written here.
There are a few good ideas about reducing stress in your life and forging connections with your social group, and I enjoyed reading about those good solutions. I liked that at the end of each chapter there are practical questions you can ask yourself about your life and stress levels, with suggestions on how to change things for the better.
I appreciated the basic message about health, but I didn't need the political fakery surround it.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
June 3, 2021
Two and a half stars. This was ok, but much of it was not groundbreaking at all. The beginning chapters were the best parts; the rest felt like a slog to read because it was stuff most people already know. News flash: positive relationships with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and community can positively affect your health; injustice and inequality lead to negative health effects; and we should all be kinder, more forgiving, and more accepting of others’ viewpoints. The people who are likely to pick up this book in the first place are also likely to already know and buy in to these ideas. In addition, I found her solutions a bit simplistic and wearied of the descriptions of programs and formal government initiatives. Also, there was almost no mention of the role of religion or spiritual belief at all—a significant lapse. I highlighted a lot of the research findings in my notes, just to be able to find and reference them later. But overall, I would say your finite reading minutes are probably better spent elsewhere.
August 6, 2019
The Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier, and Haelthier With the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness
by Kelli Harding, MD, MPH
due 8-27-2019
Atria Books
5.0 / 5.0
#netgalley. #TheRabbitEffect.
Amazing book and premise. One I totally agree with. This will empower you to change not just your overall physical health, but our mental health by making choices to be more kind, accepting and inclusive. Small choices made daily and our experiences with others create a cultural fabric that has a larger effect on our health than previously thought.
It began in 1978, when a Columbia University Doctor designed an experiment to establish a correlation between heart health and high blood cholesterol, using rabbits. She discovered nurturing, kindness and interaction made the difference between a heart attack and a healthy heart. Feeling supported and cared for made a huge difference in our ability to heal.
The Whithall Study was started to look for biological factors for heart disease. What it uncovered was a link between mind and body, a correlation between level of education and physical health. Kindness, support and inclusion are as much, if not more, healing than medicine alone. Dr. Engels Biopsychosocial model showed The Hidden Factors in health: social experiences can alter DNA through epigenetic processes. Community and social ties can help you remain more healthy.
Clearly we are missing something in medicine when in 2016, USA ranked 43rd in life expectancy. In 2015, life expectancy dropped for the first time in 2 decades. In 2017 it dropped again.
In maternal care, USA ranked 46th, the worst rate or maternal deaths in the developed world.
And out of the 32 wealthiest countries in the world, USA is 32nd, last place, on the health-wealth inequality.
Clearly, as a country that spends so much on health care, we are missing something.
I believe the mind body connection is such an important idea and premise for our future, our health and our well-being.
Kindness is a healer.
Acceptance is a healer.
We need leadership in this country that we can have confidence, dignity and pride in following. A feeling of hope, camaraderie, different but equal. It's not to late.
Small choice,every day. It matters.
Positive energy and acceptance. It matters.
It's time to get with it.
At the end of each chapter is a Tool Box of ideas, suggestions, support and help.
This is truly a revolutionary thought, and book.
I highly recommend it for every single person!
Thanks to Netgalley, Atria books and the author, Kelli Harding for sending this requested e-book ARC for review.
by Kelli Harding, MD, MPH
due 8-27-2019
Atria Books
5.0 / 5.0
#netgalley. #TheRabbitEffect.
Amazing book and premise. One I totally agree with. This will empower you to change not just your overall physical health, but our mental health by making choices to be more kind, accepting and inclusive. Small choices made daily and our experiences with others create a cultural fabric that has a larger effect on our health than previously thought.
It began in 1978, when a Columbia University Doctor designed an experiment to establish a correlation between heart health and high blood cholesterol, using rabbits. She discovered nurturing, kindness and interaction made the difference between a heart attack and a healthy heart. Feeling supported and cared for made a huge difference in our ability to heal.
The Whithall Study was started to look for biological factors for heart disease. What it uncovered was a link between mind and body, a correlation between level of education and physical health. Kindness, support and inclusion are as much, if not more, healing than medicine alone. Dr. Engels Biopsychosocial model showed The Hidden Factors in health: social experiences can alter DNA through epigenetic processes. Community and social ties can help you remain more healthy.
Clearly we are missing something in medicine when in 2016, USA ranked 43rd in life expectancy. In 2015, life expectancy dropped for the first time in 2 decades. In 2017 it dropped again.
In maternal care, USA ranked 46th, the worst rate or maternal deaths in the developed world.
And out of the 32 wealthiest countries in the world, USA is 32nd, last place, on the health-wealth inequality.
Clearly, as a country that spends so much on health care, we are missing something.
I believe the mind body connection is such an important idea and premise for our future, our health and our well-being.
Kindness is a healer.
Acceptance is a healer.
We need leadership in this country that we can have confidence, dignity and pride in following. A feeling of hope, camaraderie, different but equal. It's not to late.
Small choice,every day. It matters.
Positive energy and acceptance. It matters.
It's time to get with it.
At the end of each chapter is a Tool Box of ideas, suggestions, support and help.
This is truly a revolutionary thought, and book.
I highly recommend it for every single person!
Thanks to Netgalley, Atria books and the author, Kelli Harding for sending this requested e-book ARC for review.
June 13, 2021
I ordered this book online since my local library or online library sources didn't carry it - and I'm so glad I did. I used a whole pile of little sticky highlighters to mark some of my favorite parts and I'm sure I will reference this more than once again.
I was first introduced to this book from an LDS General Conference talk by Gary Stevenson; he related the titular story of how rabbits in a cholesterol study showed statistically different health results even though they were fed the same diet. The difference? The healthier rabbits were cuddled and talked to while they were fed. From the introduction: "Ultimately, what affects our health in the meaningful ways has as much do with how we treat one another, how we live, and what it means to be human than with anything that happens at the doctor's office."
From the opening pages on the Hidden Factors of Health: "...the vast majority, 80 to 90 percent, of people's health depends on factors outside clinical care. While genes do play a role...the biggest contributor to health outcomes by far are powerful social, political, and environmental conditions. It turns out that where a person is born, works, lives, plays, and grows older - what the field of public health calls the social determinants of health - shape a person's behavior and biology in profound ways."
I could quote, like, every other page in the book. Dr. Harding breaks down these hidden factors in health, then gives specific practical application ideas for each hidden factor; i.e. in the chapter on community, she suggests joining a local club, taking a class, or finding an interest group; or, if you are going to do an activity anyway, see if you can do it with a friend. For the most part, simple ways to help build relationships, contributing to better health for both yourself and the other person(s). In my enthusiasm I many not be doing a great job of conveying the powerful and motivating messages.
Showing and sharing love = greater health and happiness. Spread kindness! Definitely read this book!
I was first introduced to this book from an LDS General Conference talk by Gary Stevenson; he related the titular story of how rabbits in a cholesterol study showed statistically different health results even though they were fed the same diet. The difference? The healthier rabbits were cuddled and talked to while they were fed. From the introduction: "Ultimately, what affects our health in the meaningful ways has as much do with how we treat one another, how we live, and what it means to be human than with anything that happens at the doctor's office."
From the opening pages on the Hidden Factors of Health: "...the vast majority, 80 to 90 percent, of people's health depends on factors outside clinical care. While genes do play a role...the biggest contributor to health outcomes by far are powerful social, political, and environmental conditions. It turns out that where a person is born, works, lives, plays, and grows older - what the field of public health calls the social determinants of health - shape a person's behavior and biology in profound ways."
I could quote, like, every other page in the book. Dr. Harding breaks down these hidden factors in health, then gives specific practical application ideas for each hidden factor; i.e. in the chapter on community, she suggests joining a local club, taking a class, or finding an interest group; or, if you are going to do an activity anyway, see if you can do it with a friend. For the most part, simple ways to help build relationships, contributing to better health for both yourself and the other person(s). In my enthusiasm I many not be doing a great job of conveying the powerful and motivating messages.
Showing and sharing love = greater health and happiness. Spread kindness! Definitely read this book!
May 9, 2019
This is an excellent look at the hidden factors behind your health. The author explains how for decades, western medicine has been obsessed with treating just the body. If doctors could treat your cells, organs, and systems, then of course your health problems would be cared for, right? Not exactly. It's becoming more accepted that health is a combination of physical, mental, and social elements. The status of any one of those aspects can impact the others in drastic ways.
I appreciated that this book was written with a vocabulary that will be accessible to the average reader. There's a bit of scientific explanation about what happens on top of your DNA (epigenetic changes are fascinating--your DNA remains what it is, but chemical groups can attach to it as you go through various experiences, and impact the way your body works, even in successive generations), but most of the book is anecdotes and interpretation of scientific studies. Each chapter ends with a "tool kit" of ways that you can try to take charge of your own social, mental, and emotional well-being.
The main things I got out of this book were: To be healthier, it is absolutely vital to stay socially connected, to welcome physical touch such as hugs from loved ones, to be fully present in the moment as much as possible, and to be kind and attentive to others to create a ripple effect of healthier feelings in the community around us. This is not just feel-good advice, but has measurable effects on the inflammatory tendencies of the body...the very things responsible for many health problems.
I would like to try to implement several of the points from this book myself. It is definitely worth a read for anyone who is interested in the intersecting paths of health, feelings, and community.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advance digital review copy.
I appreciated that this book was written with a vocabulary that will be accessible to the average reader. There's a bit of scientific explanation about what happens on top of your DNA (epigenetic changes are fascinating--your DNA remains what it is, but chemical groups can attach to it as you go through various experiences, and impact the way your body works, even in successive generations), but most of the book is anecdotes and interpretation of scientific studies. Each chapter ends with a "tool kit" of ways that you can try to take charge of your own social, mental, and emotional well-being.
The main things I got out of this book were: To be healthier, it is absolutely vital to stay socially connected, to welcome physical touch such as hugs from loved ones, to be fully present in the moment as much as possible, and to be kind and attentive to others to create a ripple effect of healthier feelings in the community around us. This is not just feel-good advice, but has measurable effects on the inflammatory tendencies of the body...the very things responsible for many health problems.
I would like to try to implement several of the points from this book myself. It is definitely worth a read for anyone who is interested in the intersecting paths of health, feelings, and community.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advance digital review copy.
August 29, 2019
The Rabbit Effect" by Dr. Kelli Harding is an amazing read. As a health care professional, I often wondered what helps people improve their lives to making themselves healthier and happier? Does the mindset of positivity and caring really do affect the healing process? Why do some people with the same illness recover so much faster and recover better? It is a well know fact that in the United States, health care spending is the highest in the world. But why is it that, despite the billions of dollars spent on health care expense, the health of Americans are still among the lowest in the world? Additionally, why is life expectancy continuing to drop? All these questions are answered very articulately through stories and anecdotes that explain it well with the basis of expert and current research. So if you want to know how to live healthier through love, kindness, friendship and community rather than medicines and medical procedures, you must pick up this book now.
A feature that I also enjoyed in the book was the highlighting and use of a Tool Kit, which gave examples on how to improve your health (like a checklist) and find useful applications in oir daily lives. I also love that even when data is mentioned, I find that the author has a way to make it less intimidating and enriches the information that is provided. This book has really opened my eyes to the definition of health, and what being healthy in body, mind and spirit truly means.
I recommend this book whole heartedly to my fellow health professionals and to anyone wishing to live a healthier and happier life by living with a purpose, through compassion, kindness and human connection. I would pick up this book for an amazing read that is full incredible tidbits of information we need in our life. This is a must read for anyone.
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for the ebook arc copy in exchange for an objective review.
A feature that I also enjoyed in the book was the highlighting and use of a Tool Kit, which gave examples on how to improve your health (like a checklist) and find useful applications in oir daily lives. I also love that even when data is mentioned, I find that the author has a way to make it less intimidating and enriches the information that is provided. This book has really opened my eyes to the definition of health, and what being healthy in body, mind and spirit truly means.
I recommend this book whole heartedly to my fellow health professionals and to anyone wishing to live a healthier and happier life by living with a purpose, through compassion, kindness and human connection. I would pick up this book for an amazing read that is full incredible tidbits of information we need in our life. This is a must read for anyone.
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for the ebook arc copy in exchange for an objective review.
October 11, 2022
3.5 stars
This is an interesting study on kindness and connection and the need that living things have for being loved. At the start of the book I was excited and immediately drawn in. The title comes from a study of rabbits in recovery- and how a small shift in their conditions greatly affected the results.
Sadly for me as the book went on, the book got further from “kindness” and just sort of flew all over the place. Many aspects of social justice, education systems, healthcare access took over a bill of the book. This social examination felt different than a study on kindness. Connection seemed to be the biggest push by the author, but strangely it felt like reinventing the wheel. Maybe I love in a nice community, have plenty of connections, and feel cared for. You could argue many people get exactly that from their worship practice and religious settings, a well established tradition in this country which has been greatly attacked of late. The author suggests starting your own club or group gathering. Again, fine advice, but honestly felt so basic and a little like back stepping.
As someone who enjoys non-fiction I see so many of the same stories circulated continually (the prisoners dilemma, Rosa Park story, blank face parent studies) and it’s interesting to see how these stories are skewed for each books end goal. Mostly, I tire of just a few stories being used so repeatedly. So while the book started off very interesting to me, I felt like the author had to bring in too many other elements to build a full length read. These elements didn’t add for me.
Would have been a great as a shorter book and staying focused on kindness, random and pure and loving kindness in the day to day world.
This is an interesting study on kindness and connection and the need that living things have for being loved. At the start of the book I was excited and immediately drawn in. The title comes from a study of rabbits in recovery- and how a small shift in their conditions greatly affected the results.
Sadly for me as the book went on, the book got further from “kindness” and just sort of flew all over the place. Many aspects of social justice, education systems, healthcare access took over a bill of the book. This social examination felt different than a study on kindness. Connection seemed to be the biggest push by the author, but strangely it felt like reinventing the wheel. Maybe I love in a nice community, have plenty of connections, and feel cared for. You could argue many people get exactly that from their worship practice and religious settings, a well established tradition in this country which has been greatly attacked of late. The author suggests starting your own club or group gathering. Again, fine advice, but honestly felt so basic and a little like back stepping.
As someone who enjoys non-fiction I see so many of the same stories circulated continually (the prisoners dilemma, Rosa Park story, blank face parent studies) and it’s interesting to see how these stories are skewed for each books end goal. Mostly, I tire of just a few stories being used so repeatedly. So while the book started off very interesting to me, I felt like the author had to bring in too many other elements to build a full length read. These elements didn’t add for me.
Would have been a great as a shorter book and staying focused on kindness, random and pure and loving kindness in the day to day world.
Read
August 24, 2025plenty of fluff in here but underneath it all, the important takeaway is that our health and well-being, collectively and individually, is tied to so much more than prescriptions and diagnoses can account for.
January 16, 2020
Unplug, commit, and be game.
February 1, 2022
I loved it! I appreciated the variety of contributing factors of health the book touches on beyond the typical diet, exercise. Positive social connection brings purpose and joy and can influence our overall health and happiness. After all we are human! It was great to hear her perspective as a MD of some of the flaws in current in Medicine, but she also provides practical and simple solutions. Very well done and inspiring.
August 31, 2022
Interesting and thought provoking. I liked the end of chapter tool kits. Lots of medical studies and stories which slowed the book down for me.
March 27, 2019
I don't have a lot to say about this other than it is excellent. Dr Harding provides excellent stories, history, examples, and tools that educate and entertain. Like any suggestions and tools, you have to do them to reap the benefits, but even if you don't do (all of) them you will likely be influenced to makes some changes that will benefit you and those around you in at least some small ways. Highly recommended.
I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!
I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!
April 23, 2019
So relevant and necessary. The unpacking of how our day-to-day lives effect our health, giving reason as to why we must seek care outside of the clinic/hospital, too.
July 6, 2020
A lot of good info but largely correlative data that can be found in more depth and with better backing elsewhere.
February 28, 2022
I liked the premise of this book but to be honest the writing was a little dense and boring to read.
August 17, 2019
This book, although chock full of statistics and overviews of scientific experiments, is still a must-read for anyone who has a heart left for humanity and is disgruntled with the current state of the world. Dramatic? Yes, but now that I have your attention, even though personally I do not like to read technical works with lots of data, this author makes it palatable and adds sufficient anecdotes and case studies to keep the reader intrigued. The title is referring to an experiment with rabbits where they were loved and nurtured while being fed different diets - a healthy one and a very unhealthy one - and the surprising results arising based on how nurtured they were by the human caregiver. I won't give any more detail about the outcome to avoid spoilers. As I see it, however, the overall premise of the book is that human connection and love can dramatically affect health in spite of traditional factors of diet and exercise as well as other external influences. She does a wonderful job of citing actual scientific evidence with a healthy balance of anecdotal evidence, which is great by me because I didn't want to read a science journal and who doesn't enjoy a good story to illustrate examples? I believe the stories are real but have names changed to protect the innocent. This book is so important in today's hostile political climate where we have mass shootings and lack of civility on social media. It scientifically PROVES that human kindness and compassion really do matter. It delves into subjects like childhood trauma and includes a psychology aspect but actually substantiates it, in case anyone is turned off by what they call "psychobabble". I will add that you do need to read with an open mind. If you cannot get past old beliefs and are dismissive of something you perceive as new age (sorry I am a cynic and know way too many people who suffer from serious cognitive dissonance) then perhaps you will have difficulty with this book. But for anyone who thinks the world needs to change and humanity needs to be better and kinder, the concepts in here will have you nodding your head and feeling a renewed sense of hope. This book shows actual SCIENCE behind the very much needed concepts of human connection and compassion. But that is just my two cents.
I received and ARC of this book as a PDF from Netgalley.
I received and ARC of this book as a PDF from Netgalley.
July 13, 2021
Early in her career as a medical practitioner, Kelli Harding learned about a study involving rabbits and kindness. In 1978, a study intended to explore the relationship between cholesterol and heart health in rabbits inadvertently discovered that kindness(because of a nurturing post-doc responsible for feeding the rabbits) made the difference between a sick or a healthy heart.
In writing this book, Dr. Harding explores this and other research around the powerful influences of love, friendship, community, purpose, our environment, and, yes, kindness on our physical, mental, and emotional health. Chronic loneliness, for example, can be as unhealthy as a pack of cigarettes every day; napping daily can diminish the incidence of heart disease; and people with a purpose in life are less likely to get sick; and so much more.
Harding has a wonderful way of reducing hard-core academic and medical research into understandable lay language and an engaging style. At the same time, as an academic scholar myself, I know that research is more than sound bites, single studies don't really tell us all that much (look for the meta-analyses), and there is almost always another side to the story. So, while I found Harding's book fascinating, and it confirmed some of my own conclusions, it also left me with many questions and a desire to learn more. And that's a good thing for anyone!
In writing this book, Dr. Harding explores this and other research around the powerful influences of love, friendship, community, purpose, our environment, and, yes, kindness on our physical, mental, and emotional health. Chronic loneliness, for example, can be as unhealthy as a pack of cigarettes every day; napping daily can diminish the incidence of heart disease; and people with a purpose in life are less likely to get sick; and so much more.
Harding has a wonderful way of reducing hard-core academic and medical research into understandable lay language and an engaging style. At the same time, as an academic scholar myself, I know that research is more than sound bites, single studies don't really tell us all that much (look for the meta-analyses), and there is almost always another side to the story. So, while I found Harding's book fascinating, and it confirmed some of my own conclusions, it also left me with many questions and a desire to learn more. And that's a good thing for anyone!
September 13, 2019
I’ve read several books this summer advocating that our minds have the power to heal. This book’s sub title piqued my interest. We’ve always heard that laughter is the best medicine. Well now science is starting to back that theory up. The book opens with an interesting study of rabbits. Two groups of rabbits with high cholesterol with monitored. They were treated identically with one exception - one group was held and spoken kindly to during feeding time. The coddled rabbits showed remarkable improvements in heart health while the isolated rabbits tended to die from heart disease. Simple gestures like saying hi to someone in the hallway, hugging a friend for no reason, or sending a short thank you letter all improve our moods which in turn improves our health. There are no ground breaking ideas offered in this book, just a ton of scientific studies to back up what most of us have been feeling all along. Prolonged stress leads to disease. Routine meditation leads to health. It’s not rocket science, but Western medicine has been so fixated on fixing our bodies chemically that we’ve failed to take advantage of the free medicine that is available to us every day. Turn to your coworker and give him/her a hug. There. I just extended your life by one day. You’re welcome! 5 stars.
March 11, 2025
I liked this book and the practical ideas presented in it, and I spoke of it and shared truth from it often over the last two weeks as I read and thought over its pages. I loved the story of the rabbit experiment and the power of kindness. I loved the way this theme carried across the micro to the macro. I looked up websites the author cited and I considered steps that I can take to connect more, to be the change. I loved her personal anecdotes as well as the faux patients she created for the reader based on a conglomerate of patients she has worked with through the years. I loved the way she described kindness giants that she got to interview or meet with, and I appreciated her humble student stance as she recounts what she has learned. I did not like the last chapter where the author talks about her experience with the cadaver in her first year as a medical student. I felt like this moved the theme of the book from the practical to the speculative (the author wonders more than once where this person's spirit is now that he is dead). Additionally I did not feel it tied well with the chapters that had come before. I wish that the author would publish a second edition. Some of the sources and opportunities she cites are past, some of the websites no longer exist. She predicted this would be true.
June 17, 2021
As with another book I finished this month, Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy, this book is an awe inspiring game changer, an eye opening and heart filling work of truth and wonder.
I loved every beautiful anecdote, and cherished all the amazing facts and research the author collected to make her case for promoting kindness in the world.
Everyone should read this book, the sooner the better!
As a public school teacher who is interested in improving student social and emotional learning, I'm going to become a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor this summer, so I can train our school's staff on it in the fall. That's just one of many great things I took away from this excellent book!
I want to address some of the less enthusiastic reviews I've seen on here, though, from people claiming that the book has a left-wing agenda: as a political conservative myself, I get it. I see where you're coming from. Yes, her language and references are made up of the litany of usual suspects from the left, the same mantra that one would hear on any given morning listening to NPR.
BUT, this isn't the kind of bias that AM radio has trained us to screen for everywhere. Nowhere does she denigrate Republicans. She includes ideas and information that could be uneasy for the left to digest. There's nothing remotely partisan in the whole book. The closest she gets is at the end of chapter 7, where some of her suggestions include the kinds of policy platforms that Democrat leaders tend to run on.
I do wonder why, in that seventh chapter--the one by far most likely to smell of leftist advocacy to those of us on the right--she ignored opioids and the "despair epidemic," which had been chronicled and researched by the time she wrote this book. It would have fit in perfectly with her thesis. Perhaps it just didn't fit in with her vision.
Which, at worst, is just a blind spot, the kind of implicit bias that, ironically, that chapter also talks about. And that's OK. The author never claims to be perfect. In fact, she freely admits just the opposite. There's no need for conservative readers to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel here, to miss the forest for the trees.
Also in chapter 7, she talks about overcoming our unconscious prejudices by practicing "loving-kindness meditation." It's a lovely idea...and one that I already feel comfortable with because of the religion that brought me to this book in the first place.
As with the other book that I mentioned at the start of this review--Just Mercy--I read The Rabbit Effect because last month it was mentioned in a General Conference of my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through my study and practice in that church, I've been encouraged to pray daily for the gift of charity, for love towards all others, as fellow children of God.
I know that such spiritual seeking has made a difference in many people's lives, including mine, and I look forward to trying to make even more of a positive difference in this world by putting into action the many great lessons shown in this awesome book! :)
I loved every beautiful anecdote, and cherished all the amazing facts and research the author collected to make her case for promoting kindness in the world.
Everyone should read this book, the sooner the better!
As a public school teacher who is interested in improving student social and emotional learning, I'm going to become a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor this summer, so I can train our school's staff on it in the fall. That's just one of many great things I took away from this excellent book!
I want to address some of the less enthusiastic reviews I've seen on here, though, from people claiming that the book has a left-wing agenda: as a political conservative myself, I get it. I see where you're coming from. Yes, her language and references are made up of the litany of usual suspects from the left, the same mantra that one would hear on any given morning listening to NPR.
BUT, this isn't the kind of bias that AM radio has trained us to screen for everywhere. Nowhere does she denigrate Republicans. She includes ideas and information that could be uneasy for the left to digest. There's nothing remotely partisan in the whole book. The closest she gets is at the end of chapter 7, where some of her suggestions include the kinds of policy platforms that Democrat leaders tend to run on.
I do wonder why, in that seventh chapter--the one by far most likely to smell of leftist advocacy to those of us on the right--she ignored opioids and the "despair epidemic," which had been chronicled and researched by the time she wrote this book. It would have fit in perfectly with her thesis. Perhaps it just didn't fit in with her vision.
Which, at worst, is just a blind spot, the kind of implicit bias that, ironically, that chapter also talks about. And that's OK. The author never claims to be perfect. In fact, she freely admits just the opposite. There's no need for conservative readers to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel here, to miss the forest for the trees.
Also in chapter 7, she talks about overcoming our unconscious prejudices by practicing "loving-kindness meditation." It's a lovely idea...and one that I already feel comfortable with because of the religion that brought me to this book in the first place.
As with the other book that I mentioned at the start of this review--Just Mercy--I read The Rabbit Effect because last month it was mentioned in a General Conference of my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through my study and practice in that church, I've been encouraged to pray daily for the gift of charity, for love towards all others, as fellow children of God.
I know that such spiritual seeking has made a difference in many people's lives, including mine, and I look forward to trying to make even more of a positive difference in this world by putting into action the many great lessons shown in this awesome book! :)
December 2, 2021
I have never read something that has so surprisingly and convincingly altered my perspective on health and how every aspect of our lives plays into our physical well-being. I cannot recommend this book enough, it changed me, it astounded me, it makes me want to change the world!
If you’re looking for ways to improve your own health, this book is for you. If you’re looking for ways to help those around you, this book is for you.
Scientifically based, incredibly well-researched, the science of kindness proves most effective in the end.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your own health, this book is for you. If you’re looking for ways to help those around you, this book is for you.
Scientifically based, incredibly well-researched, the science of kindness proves most effective in the end.
June 1, 2021
I received this book from Global Mental Health Research Council that I am a member of in preparation for a discussion with the author, Dr. Kelli Harding. I enjoyed both the book and the discussion.
Basically, Dr Harding lays out the science behind the positive effects of kindness, community, and connection on our physical health. We all know that our health is about more than our physical bodies, and this book provides the proof.
Basically, Dr Harding lays out the science behind the positive effects of kindness, community, and connection on our physical health. We all know that our health is about more than our physical bodies, and this book provides the proof.
April 28, 2020
A great book on mental wellness and its connection with physical wellness, I wish Dr Harding had more strongly acknowledged the need for spirituality. The author attended Medical School at the U of R so that was a fun connection. My impression is that she is a very good doctor and I wish more of the medical field would practice this important connection.
Perhaps not the best time to read it as Harding emphasizes the importance of hugs and physical closeness and right now, thanks to COVID we are practicing social distancing...I miss friends, family and hugs..
great quote:
" God does experiments with human beings called natural disasters" Is this pandemic a natural disaster???
Perhaps not the best time to read it as Harding emphasizes the importance of hugs and physical closeness and right now, thanks to COVID we are practicing social distancing...I miss friends, family and hugs..
great quote:
" God does experiments with human beings called natural disasters" Is this pandemic a natural disaster???
October 1, 2019
Lots of social justice links. Excellent info with the stats to back it up. I don't recommend the audio version though, as the author reads it herself and she mispronounces words an educated person should know.
April 28, 2021
As a psychiatrist and public health expert, the author has a wide variety of experiences and just plain knowledge to share. “What can I do to add kindness to this situation”? Imagine what would be different if we all took Dr Harding’s advice and asked this of ourselves throughout the day.
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