The Power of Friendship & Service: a Neuroscience Perspective

This program will examine how friendship and service affect our brain and body to maximize health and well-being.

Two core principles of Rotary highlight the value of developing friendships and the importance being of service to one’s community. Growing evidence indicates that living these principles is associated with increased happiness and health. The goal of this program is to examine how friendship and service get under the skin to make us happier and healthier. Dr. Nusslock will present research showing that friendship and service (a) elevate activity in brain regions associated with happiness, (b) reduce inflammation associated with poor health and mortality, and (c) alter genome signaling in a manner maximizes health and well-being.

Robin Nusslock is an Associate Professor of Psychology, Neurobiology, and Psychiatry at Northwestern University, where he also holds the AT&T Research Chair. Dr. Nusslock uses the tools of modern neuroscience to study how the brain creates our thoughts and emotions, and the effect that these thoughts and emotions have on both mental and physical health and well-being. He has published close to fifty papers on the science of emotion, and he is the recipient of numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the Association for Psychological Science Rising Star Award, and Northwestern University’s Excellence in Teaching Award.  Dr. Nusslock’s research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Host: Cary Nusslock