378: Marta Zaraska - Growing Young Through Friendship, Optimism & Kindness

Marta Zaraska (IG: @mzaraska) is a Polish-Canadian science journalist published in the Washington Post, Scientific American, New Scientist, the Atlantic, and Discover. Her first book, "Meathooked: The History and Science of Our 2.5-Million Year Obsession with Meat" was chosen by the journal Nature as one of "the best science picks" in 2016. Her second book, "Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100" is a Globe and Mail bestseller. It's a research-driven case for why optimism, kindness, and strong social networks will keep us living longer than any fitness tracker or superfood. In this episode, we discuss: Marta’s father influenced her interest in diet and exercise The transition from Poland to Canada as a freelance science journalist Friendship, kindness, and optimism are free The culture in France makes it easier for children to eat properly The strength of community The most important thing you can do for your longevity Men benefit more from a happy marriage than women do What defines a happy marriage? Friendships are extremely important for health & longevity How many friends does one person need? Facebook friends don't replace real friends What is phubbing? Turning off your phone improves relationships Scheduling time for friends What it means to be conscientious Being neurotic/narcissistic is negative for your health You can improve your personality traits Would you pay to hug a stranger? A boost of oxytocin makes you feel more connected Our gut microbiome is impacting our brain What is the vagus nerve? A healthy way to exercise the vagus nerve What is heart rate variability (HRV)? The Roseto effect A snapshot of Marta’s diet Marta’s 1-day superfood experiment Combining exercise and an act of kindness The caregiving network The benefits of changing your perspective The random acts of kindness “experiment” Are telomeres impacting your behaviour? Doing new things together as a couple boosts your connection Show sponsors: LMNT <== LMNT's tasty electrolyte drink mix comes in 7 flavours and is formulated to help anyone with their electrolyte needs Perfect Keto <== 20% off all Perfect Keto products (free shipping in the US) Organifi <== 20% off all Organifi products BLUblox <== 15% off the world's most advanced blue light glasses Related links: Marta Zaraska - Growing Young (book) Marta Zaraska's website Follow Marta Zaraska on Instagram and Twitter Marta Zaraska - Meathooked (book) Michael Pollan (books) The Gottman Institute - The Four Horsemen: Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling (article) Robin Dunbar - How Many Friends Does One Person Need (book) Roseto effect (wikipedia) My Random Kindness “Experiment” Cortisol Results Related episodes: 365: Dr. Uma Naidoo – This Is Your Brain On Food 346: Leon Logothetis – The Kindness Diaries, Finding Inner Peace, Go Be Kind 287: Dr. Steven Gundry – The Longevity Paradox • Exercise Impacts Your Microbiome • Top Sources Of Polyphenols 172: Charlie Hoehn – Play Your Anxiety Away • Find Work That Doesn’t Feel Like Work • Intentional Acts Of Kindness 144: Dr. Sara Gottfried – How To Look And Feel Younger Note: Some of the links above are affiliate links. Making a purchase through these links won't cost you anything but we will receive a small commission. This is an easy, free way of supporting the podcast. Thank you! How can you support our podcast? 1. Apple users, please subscribe and review our show on Apple Podcasts, we make sure to read them all. Android users, be sure to subscribe to our show on Google Podcasts. Subscribers never miss any of the action ;) 2. Tell a friend about The Ultimate Health Podcast. They will surely thank you later. You can use the envelope button below to email a friend or tell them about TUHP in person. 3. Join TUHP Facebook community (FREE). This is where we all stay in touch and ask questions in between episodes. Join our community. 4. Follow our adventures on our favourite social media platform, Instagram. 5. Download The Ultimate Health Podcast app (FREE). This way you'll have our whole library of episodes right at your fingertips. Download our iOS/Apple app or our Android app. 6. Share using the buttons below. Thank you!