The need of others is the most pressing human need. At least this is what the philosopher Charles Pépin, author of, among others, Living with his past (Allary Editions), recently recalled on France InterInter theirs. A need that the number of followers on Instagram cannot fill. "The other allows an objective recognition of our value, helps us to come back to ourselves and at the same time to get out of it, to be entertained by it. We need others to enlarge our relationship with the world. And it doesn't matter if you feel disturbed or jostled, because through this little crack, a little light can appear."
To discover
- The most beautiful recipes for the holidays: download the Le Figaro Cuisine app
Read also"I can't live without her, and vice versa": female friendship, a saving power
The Blue Zones, again, have shown us that human relationships, the feeling of belonging to a community, solidarity, moments of shared pleasure, make us happier and make us live longer. In his book Guess My Age If You Can, Dr. Olivier Courtin-Clarins quotes the scientist Joël de Rosnay, for whom the social body is the equivalent of the biological body. He calls this epimemetic and shows that we can act on societal DNA by stimulating or repressing it. In this way, we can make a society better (or worse). To create a tomorrow that is a little less disillusioning, we start on our own small scale...
Creating Your Own Serenity
Stress also affects the expression of our genes. Worse, it can be passed down from generation to generation. "A Japanese study has shown that by making rats smell cherry blossoms at the same time as an electric shock, not only do they stress as soon as they smell this perfume, but the little ones they will have afterwards as well," says Cyrille Telinge, creator of the Nov'Expert brand, which has stocks of stories of this kind in stores.
For Dr. Alexandra Dalu, endocrinologist and anti-aging physician
, it is essential to create your own serenity. Meditation, spa, knitting, it doesn't matter as long as you feel good. And have a social circle of quality more than quantity. As a couple? Yes, if all goes well. Bachelor? Yes, if you have a fulfilling life and are surrounded by people. Sharing, that's the secret of well-being: a movie, a walk, a connivance... and even silences.
Dr. Valérie Leduc, co-founder of Maison Epigenetic, in Paris, shares her routine for a happy longevity on social media. "This one is inspired by everything I've learned from researching longevity, from scientists and influencers like Peter Attia, Bryan Johnson (and his Blueprint Project), Rhonda Patrick, and also anything that works for me." In addition to exercise and diet (all the details of which can be found on LinkedIn), she practices cardiac coherence with the RespiRelax app for five minutes three times a day, treats herself to a massage every month, and does one session a week of Rebalance, an assisted meditation that lasts only fifteen minutes. "Not to mention love, which has transformed my life!"
Head Psych
We know it instinctively: preparing small dishes with, and for, the people we love soothes us. We can go further with "Cuisine Therapy", a concept of personal development based on the assembly of food: like art or theatre, cooking can become a way to explore and decipher one's emotions, to share them and to tame them. It's simple, fun and easy to access: after a few minutes of relaxation, each participant in the workshop improvises a dish on a theme (couple relationship, family life, office atmosphere, etc.) with the food available on the counter.
In this way, feelings and emotions emerge naturally and become the starting point for exchanges and profound changes. And it works! Numerous international studies have shown that cooking workshops can help develop social ties, boost mental well-being and self-image. In addition, they improve the relationship with food in people with eating disorders (cognitive restriction, bulimia, binge eating, etc.). Enough to fuel the conversations between pear and cheese...
Be navel-gazing, too
We now know that the microbiota has an effect on health in general, and the psyche in particular. Hence the French Gut project, led by MetaGenoPolis/INRAE and AP-HP, a call to map and understand the gut microbiota of French people by 2027. In addition to billions of bacteria, our guts have hundreds of millions of neurons that are directly connected to the brain. This is called the enteric nervous system, which is in constant dialogue with the central nervous system. Anne Cali's new Belly GAD protocol has been designed to harmonize the connection between body and mind. Not only does it deplete oil, water and firm the skin, but it frees the belly from emotions and tensions, and revives energies. The treatment takes place in four phases. The first, very gentle, is inspired by chi nei tsang, the Taoist belly massage, then we continue with more tonic and draining maneuvers, before finishing with warm towels and foot reflexology work. 183 € for a one-hour session. Annecali.com
(1) Cuisine-Therapy: tell me how you cook and I'll tell you who you are!, by Emmanuelle Turquet, Ed. Jouvence. Cuisine-therapie.com