Talya Miron-Shatz PhD - Your Life Depends on It: What You Can Do to Make Better Choices About Your Health

Writing about medicine is only possible because the profession is phenomenal: people choose to dedicate their lives, night and day, to the health and well-being of others. My admiration and humble, heartfelt thanks go to all of you, healthcare professionals, and especially to my own doctors, who provided care, instilled trust, and actually cared.

Many researchers, from medicine, psychology, behavioral economics, sociology, history, and more, have produced the knowledge I discuss here. Thank you for your insights.

Many patients (whose names I changed to maintain their privacy) and many professionals (whom I present with their real names unless they asked otherwise) have shared their intimate, sometimes scary medical experiences with me. I cherish your words and silences, from the shortest, seemingly random exchanges to the deliberate encounters.

The best professionals stood by me and helped make this book happen. My agent, Rachel Sussman at Chalberg & Sussman, provided invaluable guidance. My acquiring editor, T. J. Kelleher, and my editor, Eric Henney, both at Basic Books, have shared the vision and assisted in bringing it forward forcefully. Thank you all so much.

My wonderful assistants: Nina Rabinowitz, Noa Tauber, and Danit Tarashandagan.

My friends Linda Adams, Shari Motro, Einat Niv, Gil Troy, and Kathleen Vohs. Writing with clever, loving souls around you ensures it is not lonely.

I was very fortunate to share my research with colleagues and collaborators, most of whom have become great friendsStefan Becker, who was my partner in creating and leading the eHealth Venture Summit and Innovation award at MEDICA, Glyn Elwyn, Gunther Eyesenbach, Yaniv Hanoch, Margaret Hansen, Elissa Ozanne, Avi Tsafrir, and Mladen Vidovich. A special thank you to my colleagues at the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, Cambridge University, who are unique in bringing their knowledge into wide application: Alexandra (Alex) Freeman, Mike Pearson, Gabe Recchia, and Sir David Spiegelhalter.

My friends and colleagues who have read drafts and generously shared their wisdom: Zackary Berger, Simona Botti, Mayer Brezis, Joan McIver Gibson, Tamar Hess, Jack Hoadley, Yash Huilgol, Deborah Jones, Yasmine Konheim-Kalkstein, Ayelet Meir, Barbara Mellers, Michal Rosen-Zvi, Michal Sagi, Talia Sagiv, Jacqueline Shire, Efrat Suraqui, Odette Wegwarth, and Matthew Willcox. Any lack of wisdom is purely mine.

My mentors, Gershon Ben Shakhar for his huge faith in me, Gerd Gigerenzer for his dedication to risk communication in medicine, and Dan Ariely for, wow, setting such an example.

My students at the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, at the Hebrew University, at the Mount Sinai Hospital, and at the Ono Academic College, for everything you have taught me.

Daniel Kahneman, for your kindness and honesty, for transformative years under your supervision at Princeton University, and later, for pushing me to write about something big.

Tamar Elad-Applebaum, a bright spiritual leader, for your enthusiasm. You defined this book as a humanistic endeavor, and you should know, being an unrelentingly inspiring beacon of humanism.

My familyAriel, Itamar, Alona, Hammutal, Shir, and Rodrigohas been a pillar of support, as has the Mamo family I am so lucky to belong to. My son, Itamar, in particular, has contributed to this work with great dedication and tremendous wisdom, which are so typical of him. Thank you, my beautiful family. I love you.

My parents, Nathan, who died many years ago but whose love still shines on me, and my mother, Ester (she goes by Etti, which she thinks sounds younger), a retired nurse, whose professional pride has set a stellar role model and whose love and care for me and my family are a lasting miracle. Thank you both for giving me life and so much more. With this book, and with my research on medical decision-making, I hope to pay back my debt to you.