Wonder Drug: 7 Scientifically Proven Ways That Serving Others Is the Best Medicine for Yourself

by Stephen Trzeciak M.D., Anthony Mazzarelli M.D.

Overview

A pair of doctors team up to illuminate, through neuroscience and captivating stories from their clinical practice, how serving others—and pitching in to the world in general—is a secret superpower.

If a doctor’s prescription could bring you:

- Longer life

- Better health

- More energy and resilience

- Less burnout, depression and anxiety

- More happiness, fulfillment and well-being

- More personal and professional success (including higher income)

- And, no harmful side effects

Would you take it?

In Wonder Drug, physician scientists Stephen Trzeciak, M.D., and Anthony Mazzarelli, M.D., illuminate, through neuroscience and captivating stories from their clinical practices, how being a giving, other-focused person is a secret superpower. Serving others—and pitching in to the world in general—is the evidence-based way to live your life. Kinder people not only live longer, they also live better. Science shows that serving others is not just the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing to do.

Wonder Drug will make you rethink your notions of “self-care” and “me time,” and realize that focusing on others is a potent antidote to the weariness that so many of us feel in modern times. Getting outside of your own head, outside the swirl of self-concern that may dominate your mental chatter, is, ironically, one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Building upon their earlier work showing that, in the context of healthcare, having more compassion for patients is a powerful way to not only achieve better patient outcomes, but also promote well-being, resilience and resistance to burnout among healthcare workers, Trzeciak and Mazzarelli now extend their research to uncover how the power of serving others reaches far beyond the medical world and can be a life-changing therapy for everyone.

Wonder Drug relates to the varying meanings of giving in real people’s daily lives. The stories in this book will convince and inspire you to make simple prism changes. You don’t need a total life upheaval, just a purposeful shift in mindset. In fact, the crucial first piece of the evidence-based prescription is this: start small. Per science, the best way to well-being and finding your true fulfillment is this: scan your orbit for the people around you in need of help, and go fill that need, as often as you can.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250809049
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/20/2023
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	486,304
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.15(h) x 0.85(d)

About the Author

Stephen Trzeciak, MD, MPH is a physician scientist, professor and chair of medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, and the chief of medicine at Cooper University Health Care in Camden, New Jersey. Dr. Trzeciak is a practicing intensivist (specialist in intensive care medicine), and a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded clinical researcher with more than 100 publications in the scientific literature.

Anthony Mazzarelli, MD, JD, MBE is co-president of Cooper University Health Care and the associate dean of clinical affairs for Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Prior to his current role, Dr. Mazzarelli served as Cooper's chief physician executive where he oversaw the physician practice. He is a practicing emergency medicine physician.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I The Diagnosis: An Epidemic of Self-Serving 19

1 It's Not You, Its Me Culture 21

2 Survival of the Kindest? 38

3 The Giving Paradoxes 55

4 How Self-Serving Are You? 69

Part II The Cure: Serving Others 85

5 The Brain and Body When Serving Others 87

6 Physical Health Through Serving Others 105

7 Mental Health Through Serving Others 123

8 Happiness Through Serving Others 137

9 Success Through Serving Others 151

10 Motives Matter 174

Part III The Prescription: Seven Steps to Take Now 189

11 Start Small 191

12 Be Thankful 204

13 Be Purposeful 212

14 Find Common Ground 226

15 See It 243

16 Elevate 254

17 Know Your Power 266

Notes 279

Acknowledgments 301

Index 309

About the Authors 321

Editorial Reviews

03/21/2022

Trzeciak and Mazzarelli (Compassionomics), chief of medicine and copresident of Cooper University Health Care, respectively, unpack the perks of serving others in this thorough treatise. Bemoaning the rise of “Me Culture” and the “you do you” mentality, the authors propose that the “key to good health, happiness, and fulfillment” is serving others. They ground their “Live to Give” lifestyle in scientific research, citing papers that claim volunteer work decreases the risk of dementia and that caring for others can reduce inflammation. To integrate the science into everyday life, the authors suggest readers start with tiny gestures in order to build a habit, and they report that envisioning the positive effects of one’s actions can increase the mood boost one gets after helping. Trzeciak and Mazzarelli demonstrate their expertise with an impressive array of research, though their presentation can sometimes feel like a parade of scientific studies rather than a coherent whole. This well-documented survey makes a persuasive case for a counterintuitive argument. Agent: Michael Carlisle, InkWell Management. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Wonder Drug marshals the scientific evidence demonstrating the power of compassion to improve the lives of our patients but equally as important our own lives. A powerful and poignant tour de force.” — James R. Doty, M.D. Founder & Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University School of Medicine and the New York Times bestselling author of Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart

"Humans are happiest when in motion, surrounded by others. This book illuminates the many reasons to look beyond yourself and find meaning and connection through serving others. A must-read." — Scott Galloway, New York Times bestselling author and serial entrepreneur

“Wonder Drug contains a vital message for you and me, and copies should be handed out at graduation from every professional school. Trzeciak and Mazzarelli’s new offering is my clear book of the year for 2022.” — Tom Peters, bestselling author of In Search of Excellence

"Well-researched and engaging, this book will challenge your assumptions and change your idea of what’s possible. Wonder Drug brings compassion to life in the most delightful and purposeful way imaginable with essential, actionable wisdom that will change your understanding of the role of compassion. A hopeful and engaging roadmap, charting a course to compassionate connection."

— Rana Awdish, MD, author of In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope

From the Publisher