Health Update: Penn vice provost for global initiatives discusses new wellness book in DP interview – What Experts Say

Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and Penn professor Ezekiel Emanuel published a book about wellness on Jan. 6.

The book — titled “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life” — uses scientific research to provide evidence for six overarching pieces of health and wellness advice. In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Emanuel discussed the book’s key points, including topics such as limiting reckless behaviors, developing healthy sleep habits, and maintaining strong relationships. 

Throughout the novel, Emanuel argues that wellness “shouldn’t be difficult” and describes it as an “invisible part of one’s lifestyle.”

He also claims that everyday media and the “Wellness Industrial Complex” can offer “conflicting advice” about health and longevity. 

In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, however, Emanuel said readers should view wellness as a way to improve their lives. He added that part of his goal was to provide realistic habits for readers leading busy lives. 

“You should structure your life so that you can follow wellness activities on a regular basis,” he told the DP. “You have to have a wellness routine that can work for you and in your activities.” 

Emanuel said that the most important point he made in “Eat Your Ice Cream” was asking readers to engage with others socially. Emanuel told the DP that social engagement is “an absolutely critical part of wellness.”

“When you say wellness to anyone, you just say it randomly — eating well, exercise, sleep,” he said. “But they don’t think of social engagement, loneliness as an aspect of wellness. And that’s really, really important just as a matter of scientific fact.”

According to Emanuel, the book’s social engagement chapter “synthesizes the literature” on the importance of developing and maintaining social relationships with others.

Emanuel also spoke to the importance of setting aside technology and socializing with peers. 

“Put down the damn phone and interact with your friends and roommates,” he stated.

Emanuel has published several other books on healthcare and medical ethics, along with a memoir about his family’s history. He previously served as special advisor for health policy to the director of the Office of Management and Budget and as chair of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health.