LOVE A Vital Nutrient 

So here goes, I want to write about a brilliant book I just finished reading 'LOVE 2.0' author Barbara L. Fredrickson, PH.D. This book made so much sense to me, that love is a nutrient, important to our well-being. This supreme emotion affects everything we feel, think, do and become, Dr. Fredrickson has on the book cover. I have been afraid of love most of my life, didn't really understand it, no wonder look who we learn love from. We learn about love from our parents or main caregivers, boyfriends, girlfriends, society, culture, media no wonder there is so much misunderstanding and fear of love. It can be pretty scary to say "I love you" and really feel it, authentically, allow your heart to be open, vulnerable. And love is being researched and the results described in this book in a way that we lay people can understand. The research shows that more than happiness and even optimism, love holds the key to improving our mental and physical  health as well as lengthening our lives and deepening our personal experience. Fredrickson defines love as a momentary state that arises to infuse your mind and body alike. Love is connection. "Love is the momentary upwelling of three tightly interwoven events: first, a sharing of one or morepositive emotions between you and another; second, a synchrony between your and the other person's biochemistry and behaviours; and third, a reflected motive to invest in each other's well-being that brings mutual care." Fredrickson 's shorthand for this is positivity resonance, and is also a skill that can be taught and learned. This skill love, needs to be cultivated in our intimate relationships, communities, schools and workplaces, globally. This book provides exercises, practices to cultivate, build love in ourselves and for ourselves and to expand out to others, even globally. Frederickson says compassion is love. I hope you pick up this book, borrow it from the library like I did, check out the websites for resources, tools to cultivate love, compassion in your life  positivityresonance.com and www.positivityratio.com or just type in Dr.Barbara Fredrickson you will also find youtube videos. Did you eat enough vegetables today, and did you cultivate enough love today...get all your nutrients!!!