Have you ever wondered why some sixty-year-olds look and feel like they're in their forties, while some forty-year-olds look and feel like they're in their sixties? Nobel Prize-winning physiologist and physician Elizabeth Blackburn and health psychologist Elissa Epel co-author this groundbreaking book that leads us to a completely new understanding of our very selves.

While there are many factors related to aging and health, Dr. Blackburn discovered a biological marker called telomerase, an enzyme that replenishes telomeres, the ends of DNA that protect our genetic legacy. The research of Blackburn and Epel, who has studied how psychology affects telomeres, demonstrates that the mind-body connection has a real biological basis.

Drawing on findings from numerous studies, the authors reveal how sleep quality, physical exercise, dietary choices, and certain chemicals can positively affect our telomeres, while chronic stress, negative thoughts, and troubled relationships can wear them down. This book invites us to reconsider our daily habits.

It is the first book to explain how humans age at a cellular level and how we can, by making simple changes, keep our chromosomes and cells healthy, so we can stay fit and enjoy our lives free from diseases for as long as possible.

"Blackburn and Epel have made revolutionary discoveries that can transform the way we live by reshaping the very health of our cells using the power of our own minds. As pioneering scientists in well-being, they reveal the power of interpersonal relationships—love, friendship, parent-child relationships—to slow the aging of our cells." Daniel J. Siegel, MD.

"Blackburn and Epel have created a roadmap for how to age 'successfully,' illuminating the complex relationships between psychology and the biology of aging." Laura L. Carstensen, PhD.

"This book is revolutionary: it transforms the way we perceive health and wellness, illness, and death." Dean Ornish.

"This remarkable book avoids the trap of labeling stress and challenges of all kinds as harmful; rather, it argues that trials and turbulence do not necessarily threaten health: challenges create resilience and strength. The study of telomeres helps us understand what protects and toughens our cells. Here we have the latest in the science of longevity." Howard S. Friedman, PhD.