Christmas 2016 - Health and happiness - a podcast by BMJ Group

Underneath all of our civilisation and science, we’re still primates - and the connection between patient and doctor can be reinforced by simply taking a hand.

Robin Youngson, cofounder of hearts in healthcare, and Mitzi Blennerhassett, who has written extensively on patient engagement, have co-authored an editorial calling for the humanisation of medicine, and we talk to them about the power of touch.

Read the editorial:
www.bmj.com/content/355/bmj.i6262

Andrew Steptoe is the British Heart Foundation professor of psychology, at University College London. He and colleagues have been using a large cohort study to measure the link between overall happiness and health.

Read the full research:

www.bmj.com/content/355/bmj.i6267

Further episodes of The BMJ Podcast

Further podcasts by BMJ Group

Website of BMJ Group