brenticus reviewed The Telomere Effect by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn
None
3 stars
Getting an overview of what telomeres do—because when I had last learned about them they sounded like predictors with little function—was interesting and useful. With that context, the rest of the book seemed like it would be really interesting.
But it turns out that all the things that increase telomere length are the same things every other self help book suggests you do to be happy, healthy, et cetera. After a while it got boring, because while the information was good and well supported it was also information that you can get more concisely from hundreds of other sources. And, if you're the sort of person who would be interested in this book, you probably have.
The "renewal labs" at the end of each chapter were mostly surveys to assess how much of a risk your habits related to the previous chapter are. Having listened to the audiobook, this was …
But it turns out that all the things that increase telomere length are the same things every other self help book suggests you do to be happy, healthy, et cetera. After a while it got boring, because while the information was good and well supported it was also information that you can get more concisely from hundreds of other sources. And, if you're the sort of person who would be interested in this book, you probably have.
The "renewal labs" at the end of each chapter were mostly surveys to assess how much of a risk your habits related to the previous chapter are. Having listened to the audiobook, this was not helpful. Would have liked that hour back.