

"Love," it turns out, "is that micro-moment of warmth and connection that you share with another human being." Now while we might want to quibble about the idea of the "micro-moment," warmth sharing is reasonable, so far, so good. Love is the "supreme emotion." Okay, so far we're still in the same ballpark. These "micro-moments" will make you healthier; they will make you wiser. Whether they will make you wealthier as well, Dr. Fredrickson doesn't say, but two out of three "ain't" bad. She does explain that there is a wealth of scientific experimentation to back up these benefits, but more often than not the support for that assertion is left out of the text itself and relegated to the end notes. Still the idea that love is good for you, while someone like Othello might have something to say about it, is probably going to appeal to most of us.

To avoid confusion, then, she very quickly introduces a new term to substitute for love-positivity resonance. It doesn't have quite trip lightly off the tongue, but then it doesn't have all that emotional baggage attached to it either. Positivity resonance has three elements: "shared positive emotions, biobehavioral synchrony and mutual care." Positivity resonance, the confluence of these three elements can occur at any time with anyone, as long as an individual opens himself up to the possibility.

Once the value of positivity resonance is recognized and accepted, the next question is how to get the individual to open up. The second part of the book goes on to explain just how it's done. Different chapters offer exercises based on the practice of Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) to help the reader first learn to love himself, then love others in "sickness and health," and finally love others the world over. The actual exercises for the most part won't take up a lot of time, and they are fairly easy to perform. Usually they involve sitting in a chair, meditating about something positive, listening to your body, and chanting some positive formula related to the particular "love" you are trying to develop. Keep at it with regular practice, and positivity resonance will improve your life and the lives of those around you.

Now while I must confess that I've never been a big fan of meditation, but given the wealth of very wise people who swear by it, it makes no sense to dismiss it, especially if Fredrickson is right about all the benefits. I mean if it's good enough for the Dalai Lama, who am I to say nay? Besides, Fredrickson's idea of love while differs from the romantic tradition, it doesn't exclude it. And as Fredrickson concludes at the very end of her book: "Opportunities for love abound. It's up to you to nourish yourself with them."

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