Using new research from the field of psychoneuroimmunolgy, Dr. Pearsall goes beyond the Spartan "no pain, no gain" philosophy to one most aptly described as "no bliss, no benefit": if you enjoy it, it's good for you. Instead of stripping joyful activities from our lives, he encourages us to enjoy them in moderation. The key, he says, is balance. Discover how you can literally let good health "happen" to you by learning:

• The purpose and use of one of your most important senses - your pleasure template.
• The personal, interpersonal, transpersonal, temporal and sensual pleasure paths to health.
• The difference between rational, healthy hedonism and irrational, unhealthy excess.
• To laugh, love, and live rather than lap, lift, and lose.
• The importance of touch, humor, and crying.
• The power of doing fun-ins instead of work-outs.

The simple pleasures of daily living, those that we so often have little time for, are the real purpose and process of life. These are the pleasures we must pursue in order to improve the quality and length of our existence. And these are at the heart of Dr. Pearsall's humane, revisionist wisdom. The Pleasure Principle: Discovering a New Way to Health is just what the doctor ordered - it and that extra slice of pizza. So enjoy already.