Relax

A surprising, liberating and scientifically informed guide to overcoming the anxiety that permeates modern life.

'Masterfully, and humorously . provides much needed sanity in a world of claims run amok . I devoured it.' - DANIEL LEVITIN, author of The Organized Mind
'Caulfield wittily breaks down everyday dilemmas that might frazzle you...Relax encourages you to make decisions informed by evidence, in the hope that you might stop overthinking them.' - The Times
'A handbook that is informed as well as wise.' - Guardian (Nonfiction to look out for in 2021)

Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?
Do I really have to floss?
Are office meetings actually worth the time they take up?
Am I spending enough time with my children?
Should I worry about binge-watching TV?
What time should I go to bed?

We make, and worry about, a thousand big and little decisions during our waking hours. Too often these decisions are dictated by concerns or beliefs about our world that simply aren't true.

With precision and wit, award-winning public health expert Timothy Caulfield analyses the innumerable cultural, social and psychological forces that shape these misperceptions. Caulfield provides a scientifically informed way out of this mess - Relax will do exactly what the title suggests and help put your mind at ease.

About the Author

TIMOTHY CAULFIELD is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. His interdisciplinary research on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, the public representations of science, and health policy issues has allowed him to publish over 350 academic articles. He has won numerous academic and writing awards and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Trudeau Foundation, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

He contributes frequently for the popular press and is the author of two national bestsellers: The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness and Happiness, and Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash. Caulfield has been described by Globe and Mail as 'one of North America's most high-profile skeptics ... a kind of specialised celebrity debunker. You can think of him as Gwyneth Paltrow's polite Canadian nemesis.'

Caulfield is also the host and co-producer of the documentary TV series, A User's Guide to Cheating Death.