#58 Marta Zaraska on How Kindness and Connection Keeps You Young

We all tend to stress about finding the perfect diet or exercise plan to keep us as healthy as possible. But there’s so much more to it than that. To keep your body healthy, you have to focus on other aspects of your life as well. What if I told you that kindness, connection, and love have just as much to do with your health as diet and exercise? WELCOME TO THE DARIN OLIEN SHOW. I’m Darin Olien, the “superfood hunter.” On this podcast, you’ll hear honest conversations with extraordinary people that inspire me. I hope that through their knowledge and unique perspectives, they’ll inspire you, too. Although our ideas and approaches to life may differ, our ultimate goal is the same. We want to save the planet. So we’re going to try, one conversation at a time. If you’re interested in expanding your view of the world while learning new angles on health and nutrition, you’re at the right place. Marta Zaraska found the Fountain of Youth. And it’s probably not what you think. Marta is an incredibly knowledgeable science writer and journalist, published in the Washington Post, Scientific American, and The Atlantic among many others. Her new book Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism, and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100 quickly became one of my favorites. It’s a research-driven look at the power of human connection and attitude, and how they biologically drive our existence.  In this episode, Marta and I chat about all the things that some health gurus seem to forget. It’s not just about what we eat and drink, it’s about how we interact with the people around us. It’s about our attitude towards the world, and how we nurture our emotional health. Marta is full of a massive amount of scientifically backed information and insights, I really had a blast with this conversation. She breaks down the biology behind friendships and relationships, and why they really are key to our quality of life. We chat about hormones, microbiomes, and why everyone should have a dog like my Chaga. We’re not talking about superfoods in this one, guys, but it’s just as important.  Other topics in this episode: The backstory of Growing Young Why you need to find your tribe The science behind the human/dog bond How the pandemic has tested us Exchanging microbes How having friends makes you live longer Can an introvert learn to be more extroverted? Random acts of kindness  The power of romance Links: Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism, and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100 - https://www.growingyoungthebook.com/  Marta’s Website - https://www.zaraska.com/  Marta on Instagram - @mzaraska Marta on Twitter - @mzaraska Download Darin’s amazing new lifestyle app and get 3 days free at 121Tribe.com For amazing skin using an all-natural serum made with wild-harvested ingredients, get Caldera Lab’s “The Good”, the only skincare product I use. Use code “DARIN” for 20% off your first order! The Darin Olien Show is produced by the team at Must Amplify. If you’re looking to give a voice to your brand and make sure that it’s heard by the right people, head to www.mustamplify.com/darin to see what Amplify can do for you.