Another Self: How Your Body Helps You Understand Others

by Cindy Engel

Another Self explains why we sometimes take on the physical, emotional, and even mental states of others. Dr Cindy Engel brings together research into social perception and interpersonal physiology to explain how and why our thoughts and feelings are not always entirely our own.
Do you wince when you see someone stub their toe, feel your throat tighten when a friend cries, or know what someone is going to say just before they say it? New evidence reveals that a tendency to 'catch' others' emotional and physiological condition is not merely a quirk of a few sensitive individuals but a fundamental aspect of human feeling with others is an ancient strategy reaching back into our evolutionary past enabling us to predict the intentions of others.
This newfound appreciation for somatic empathy has implications in many domains—mental and physical health, animal welfare, and personal wellbeing. Understanding how somatic empathy impacts on us day to day without our knowing enables us to optimise empathy while sidestepping the perils of vicarious harm, overwhelm, and burnout.
Another Self unveils why your dentist can make more mistakes when you are nervous, how a professional tennis player can predict where an opponent's serve will land even before their racket hits the ball, why your dog gets anxious when you are unwell, why remote military drone pilots can suffer more PTSD than their colleagues in battle, and why you can feel so physically discombobulated when a close relationship ends. Be prepared to reassess your sense of self, your relationships, occupation, and the type of entertainment you choose.

“I couldn’t put this down! Cindy masterfully guides us through the intricate science of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the profound connections we forge at a deep, human level. This is especially crucial for individuals grappling with PTSD, offering them vital insights.”
–Nick Goldsmith, Ex-Royal Commando, PTSD therapist and bestselling author of Rewild Your Mind.

“A truly astounding book. Beautifully written and deeply researched, Another Self should be read by every doctor, nurse, therapist, bodyworker and complementary medicine practitioner.”
—Peter Deadman, founder and editor of The Journal of Chinese Medicine, co-author of The Manual of Acupuncture and author of Live Well, Live Long.

“I wish everyone were familiar with the information in this book, but I especially recommend that every bodyworker read this book.”
—Karen Elisa BFA, AOBTA®-CP, Dipl. ABT (NCCAOM), Board President, AOBTA.

300 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2024

About the author

Dr Cindy Engel is a rare combination of research biologist, author, and bodywork therapist – on a mission to understand the interplay of mind and body. As well as writing in peer-reviewed academic journals, she is the author of the definitive book on animal self-medication, ‘Wild Health: how animals keep themselves well and what we might learn from them’. This book topped the prestigious Berkeley popular science list and is still popular and influential after 20 years in print. Her insights and expertise have led to interviews and articles being published in The New Scientist, The Financial Times Weekend, The Mail on Sunday, and The Ecologist. She was also the science consultant and a contributor for BBC Radio 4’s series ‘Murder, Magic & Medicine’. Cindy has been an Associate Lecturer at The Open University for over 30 years, and she lives and works in rural Suffolk, England.

Reviews

[Felicity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating explanation of how our bodies work to help us understand each other and our environment. Dr. Engel is presenting a new way of understanding our bodies that draws on a wide range of disciplines and answers a lot of questions. So many possibilities to apply this information in work and daily life. The explanations are clear and accessible - even for someone with a non-scientific background. For example, I’ve always intuitively known the importance of skin to skin contact for newborns and the author shows that this comes from heart to heart synchronisation between mother and baby!