The world is changing and people are feeling scared. What we regard as normal has been completely flipped on its head. What we need now more than ever is kindness.

When you’re kind to someone, it’s not just that person who benefits. Kindness makes you happier. It’s good for your heart. It helps support your immune system. It slows ageing. It improves relationships. And it’s contagious – any small act of kindness you might perform is proven to have a ripple effect that reaches over 100 more people and I can’t think of a better message to put out there in these unique and uncertain times.

My guest this week is David Hamilton, a pharmacist-turned-author with a special interest in how the mind affects the body, and vice versa. We chat about his fascination with the placebo effect and the many studies that demonstrate how the brain actually changes – and the body heals – in response to certain information. We talk at length about oxytocin, which David calls ‘the kindness hormone’, and how it’s the main contributor to heart health outside exercise. And he explains why kindness is the opposite of – and antidote to – stress.

If you’re feeling powerless, or that any efforts you make at the moment are insignificant, I really hope that listening to this podcast will help. It was recorded back in February, before the scale of this pandemic could be known. And yet it feels timely to release it now, as a reminder of what is within our control, when so many other factors aren’t.

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/104

Connect with David:
Website http://drdavidhamilton.com/category/kindness-2/
Twitter https://twitter.com/DrDRHamilton
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DavidRHamiltonPhD/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/davidrhamiltonphd/

David’s books:
The Five Side Effects of Kindness: This Book Will Make You Feel Better, Be Happier & Live Longer – https://amzn.to/2xl2EL5
Why Kindness is Good For You – https://amzn.to/2UhZoJi
How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body – https://amzn.to/2Ja6vgI

David's Kindness blogs:
Molecules of kindness: http://drdavidhamilton.com/molecules-of-kindness/
Born to be kind: http://drdavidhamilton.com/born-to-be-kind/
How kindness can heal the body: http://drdavidhamilton.com/how....-kindness-can-heal-t
The opposite of stress: http://drdavidhamilton.com/the-opposite-of-stress/
Loving kindness slows ageing at the genetic level: http://drdavidhamilton.com/lov....ing-kindness-slows-a
Nature's Catch 22: http://drdavidhamilton.com/natures-catch-22/

David's Mind-Body connection blogs:
Do drugs work better if we believe in them?: http://drdavidhamilton.com/do-....drugs-work-better-if
Can we visualise drugs working: http://drdavidhamilton.com/can....-you-visualise-drugs
Real vs Imaginary in the brain and body: http://drdavidhamilton.com/rea....l-vs-imaginary-in-th

Dr Chatterjee’s resources:
#45 Touch – The Forgotten Sense with Professor Francis McGlone https://youtu.be/9xZtBEpMIYE
#58 How to Open Your Mind and Change Your Life with Dr Tara Swart https://youtu.be/gEIrl8PbW28
#85 Is it Time for a Tactical Break from Alcohol? With Andy Ramage https://youtu.be/nyi58ZMbq_0

#feelbetterlivemore #kindness #davidhamilton
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Listen to all previous podcast episodes on https://drchatterjee.com/podcast or via these podcast platforms by searching for 'Feel Better, Live More'.

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.