Helping each other makes us feel good…so why don’t we do it anymore?
Routledge publishes a new book ‘The Good Life’, which highlights a dangerous slide in society towards consumerism, self-interest and a lack of empathy. This, alongside bad emotional experiences in childhood, leads to killing off the amazing potential all humans are born with, to be kind, altruistic and cooperative.
Reviewed as ‘An incisive and timely critique of the ‘I'm OK, You're Not’ Society’ by Oliver James, best-selling author of 'Affluenza', this book is challenging, intellectually exhilarating and highly readable and explores crucial issues at the heart of being human.
The Author, Graham Music, bases his work on decades of clinical experience and cutting edge psychological and brain science to ensure its relevance. Music says “Extraordinary new research has revealed how even infants can be altruistic, fair, co-operative and even moral, blowing apart beliefs that humans are really innately selfish. But having worked with traumatised kids and stressed adults for decades, I realised how often bad experiences turn off kindness, empathy and decency, making us ruthless, self-interested and even psychopathic.”
Music shows how a society in thrall to materialistic values and online use can tilt us towards selfish behaviour. The book also outlines what fosters hopeful developments, such as sensitive parenting, mindfulness, empathy and less stressed social contexts. At its heart is the message that good experiences and feeling good lead to better behaviour towards others - a recipe for genuine wellbeing and ‘The Good Life’.
Sue Gerhardt, psychotherapist and author of Why Love Matters: How Affection shapes a baby’s brain says “Graham Music, using vivid examples from his work with children, shows how harsh or insensitive child-rearing can promote materialism and anti-social behaviour, whilst care and kindness underpin well-being and empathy for others. This is a timely and important message we ignore at our peril.”
“Drawing on an impressive array of evidence, and with Music's characteristic combination of passion and scientific rigour, in this compelling synthesis the selfish gene hypothesis finally meets its nemesis.” - Prof Jeremy Holmes MD FRCPsych University of Exeter, UK.
For more information, or to request a review copy, please contact:
(Outside North and South America) Caroline Monaghan, Marketing Manager, Routledge Psychology
Tel: 44 (0) 207 017 5390| Email: Caroline.Monaghan@tandf.co.uk
(North and South America) Julia Gardiner, Marketing Manager, Routledge Psychology
Tel: 1 (917) 351-7165| Email: julia.gardiner@taylorandfrancis.com
When referencing the book: Please include book title, author, published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) and the following statement:
Visit our newsroom at: http://newsroom.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/
Follow us on Twitter @tandfnewsroom or @Routledgeed
-----------------------------------------
About Taylor & Francis Group
-----------------------------------------
Taylor & Francis Group partners with researchers, scholarly societies, universities and libraries worldwide to bring knowledge to life. As one of the world’s leading publishers of scholarly journals, books, ebooks and reference works our content spans all areas of Humanities, Social Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, Science, and Technology and Medicine.
From our network of offices in Oxford, New York, Philadelphia, Boca Raton, Boston, Melbourne, Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, Stockholm, New Delhi and Johannesburg, Taylor & Francis staff provide local expertise and support to our editors, societies and authors and tailored, efficient customer service to our library colleagues.
Tags:
