Positive Health Lecture: Special Lecture

Positive Health Lecture: Special Lecture on How Positive Emotions, Diverse Social Networks, and Social
Status Contribute to Lower Morbidity and Mortality
Dr. Sheldon Cohen, June 24, 2009 at 12 pm

Date: Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Time: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Location: Dunlop Auditorium in Stemmler Hall at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, near 36th
and Spruce Street in Philadelphia. Click here for details on the location and parking.

Topic: Dr. Cohen will provide overviews of the evidence for the roles of positive emotions, diverse social networks
and perceptions of social status in morbidity and mortality. He will present evidence addressing each of these
topics emphasizing his work on how these factors influence susceptibility to infection. He uses a unique
experimental paradigm where psychological and biological predictors are assessed in healthy volunteers who are
subsequently exposed to a virus that causes the common cold. Approximately one-third of those exposed develop a
clinical illness, and this work asks whether the factors assessed prior to viral-challenge predict who gets sick.
This lecture series is part of the Positive Health project of the Positive Psychology Center, funded by RWJF’s
Pioneer Portfolio, which supports innovative ideas that may lead to significant breakthroughs in the future of health
and health care. This project will lay the groundwork for an approach to improving health and quality of life that
focuses on health strengths and low-cost interventions.