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The Science of Optimism: Why We’re Hard-Wired for Hope
Seafood is one of the healthiest foods you can eat, but the choices we make when we enjoy it are not just sensory — they also play a part in a large and interconnected ecosystem that involves the whole earth's well-being. In "The Whole Fish," food writer Maria Finn takes us on a journey into the 'whole food' cooking movement, one that advocates eating the entire fish from gill to adipose fin. It's an approach that can not only improve your heath, happiness, and sex life, but also help save the complex ecosystem that supports the ocean. "The Whole Fish" includes seafood recipes from some of the best chefs in the business; get ready for fish head soup, broiled collars, brined eggs, relish from the fatty bellies, baked skins for “fish bacon,” dried bones for grinding into “salt." The new movement to eat and enjoy the distinct flavors of the whole animal — whether it lives on land or sea — is a satisfying and exciting way to add the spirit of adventure to life. At these intersections with nature, we cultivate passion and wonder. Preparing and eating a meal can be a form of gratitude and community, not just with our friends and families but with all life on earth. Through "The Whole Fish," we come to know life intimately, and we in turn nourish ourselves.
136 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2012
19 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 11, 2019
A little short but insightful (and very readable!) tale of the function Optimisms plays in human psychology. It's a quick & enjoyable read and certainly an inspiring one. It will make even stubborn realists rethink their outlook on life.
November 27, 2012
MOSTLY HO-HUM.
"Expectations transform our world"
My favorite story about the persistent optimist v. pessimist conundrum: Is the glass half-full, or is the glass half-empty; comes from comedian Bill Crosby, who tells of his grandmother’s response when, as a young man, he posed that question to her. “Well Bill,” she told him, “That all depends on whether you’re pouring, or whether you’re drinking.”
And that, unfortunately, is a more definitive answer than any offered in Tali Sharot’s TED Book, ‘The Science of Optimism: Why We’re Hard-Wired for Hope. While it’s pleasant to think that we might be hard-wired for optimism, this book seems to leave the answer at a very tentative, ‘might be.’ As for research done, it seemed that the book’s favorite answer was: ‘We see this or that, but we’re don’t quite know why this or that is.’
Recommendation: I don’t quite know why I’d ever recommend this book to anyone. I will, however, recommend that you watch Tali Sharot’s TED Talk, ‘The Optimism bias’ video. It gives you almost the whole book and more, in under 18 minutes.
"It is tempting to speculate that optimism was selected by evolution precisely because, on balance, positive expectations enhance the odds of survival"
TED Book edition on iPad
"Expectations transform our world"
My favorite story about the persistent optimist v. pessimist conundrum: Is the glass half-full, or is the glass half-empty; comes from comedian Bill Crosby, who tells of his grandmother’s response when, as a young man, he posed that question to her. “Well Bill,” she told him, “That all depends on whether you’re pouring, or whether you’re drinking.”
And that, unfortunately, is a more definitive answer than any offered in Tali Sharot’s TED Book, ‘The Science of Optimism: Why We’re Hard-Wired for Hope. While it’s pleasant to think that we might be hard-wired for optimism, this book seems to leave the answer at a very tentative, ‘might be.’ As for research done, it seemed that the book’s favorite answer was: ‘We see this or that, but we’re don’t quite know why this or that is.’
Recommendation: I don’t quite know why I’d ever recommend this book to anyone. I will, however, recommend that you watch Tali Sharot’s TED Talk, ‘The Optimism bias’ video. It gives you almost the whole book and more, in under 18 minutes.
"It is tempting to speculate that optimism was selected by evolution precisely because, on balance, positive expectations enhance the odds of survival"
TED Book edition on iPad
January 5, 2015
Fascinating look into and accessible descriptions of experiments and the potential meanings of their findings related to optimism, health, age, and happiness. The author explains some studies from the field of neuroscience and explains the concepts clearly. I appreciated that she maintained a cautious approach to interpreting study results: neuroscience is a new field and the tools used are giving scientists new data to collect and interpret and scientists are still figuring out what exactly they are looking at. Well written/short read: I started and finished in a single day and left with a better understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of an optimistic bias.
January 11, 2013
Another one of the short, concise TED books, this time giving you the overview of what is being called the Optimism bias. It'll give you some of the latest information about research into this phenomena. Unfortunately I'm not very optimistic at this point of my life; however, the good news according to the research is that it'll get better soon.
Plenty of jumping off points with the notes to let you find more reading material on this subject.
December 13, 2012
Short and informative. Plenty of references for those who want to follow up on the topics.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews