Second Thought

Looking again at news and commentary

The New York Times

From The New York Times, July 22, 1986

" ... James McKay, a graduate student working with Dr. McClelland at Harvard, has found that selfless love, a caring for others without worrying about benefits for oneself, is related to good health.

"Selfless love, according to Mr. McKay's research, is reflected not just by thoughts of doing things for others without consideration for a personal benefit, but also such things as a sense of humor and a lack of cynicism.

"In a series of studies, Mr. McKay found that those men and women whose fantasies showed a tendency toward selfless love also reported having fewer infectious diseases than did others in the study.

"These results support those from an earlier study by Dr. McClelland, in which immune function was assessed in people before and after they watched [an inspiring] film .... 'Dwelling on love seems to strengthen this aspect of immune function,' Dr. McClelland said."

Editors' comment: Interesting reading! As we learn more of the real source of unselfish love—and the Bible has been telling us for a long time that the source is divine—we can expect to see people learning even more about immunity. A related comment by Mary Baker Eddy gives us a lot to think about: "Ever-present Love must seem ever absent to ever-present selfishness or material sense" (No and Yes, p. 20).

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Editorial

"Our God ... is able to deliver us"

November 16, 1987

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