If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.
-African proverb

John Cacioppo, Widening Our Circle of Compassion:
Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection

Proudly Co-Sponsored by Family Service of Glencoe

Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 7 pm, Gaffney Auditorium, New Trier High School, 385 Winnetka Ave, Winnetka, IL

John Cacioppo, Ph.D., Distinguished Service Professor and Director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at The University of Chicago, is founder of the field of social neuroscience, and a world expert on both perceived and real social isolation. Dr. Cacioppo’s presentation will be a deft blend of biology and social science, delivered from an empathic, insightful stance. It will broaden your horizon. Dr. Cacioppo will urge us to consider the therapeutic power of social connection, and advise us on how to overcome defensive behaviors to achieve better health and greater happiness. This presentation has profound implications for our culture's focus on competition and individualism at the expense of social cohesion and trust.

He will explain how we as a species have evolved a powerful, meaning-making "social brain." Using sophisticated brain-imaging studies, analysis of blood pressure, immune response, stress hormones, behavior and gene expression, Dr. Cacioppo's research demonstrates how humans are deeply intertwined and interconnected, physiologically and psychologically. We are hard-wired for interdependence. Dr. Cacioppo's decades-long interdisciplinary investigations reveal that loneliness is a painful social cue that prompts us to re-engage with our high-quality relationships. The pain of loneliness triggers a fear response that disrupts thinking, emotion regulation, will-power, and perseverance, as well as our ability to decode social signals and exercise social skills, potentially affecting our very DNA. Dr. Cacioppo is the author of the highly-acclaimed 2008 book, Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection. Join the community at this presentation - one not to be missed. Bring your teen! Bring your parents! CPDUs for education professionals.

Co-sponsored with Family Service of Glencoe, Family Service Center (Glenview/Kenilworth/Northfield/Wilmette), Family Service of Winnetka-Northfield, Erika's Lighthouse, New Trier High School Social Work Department and NorthShore University HealthSystem.

Connectedness, Family and Resilience
Follow-up discussions to John Cacioppo's lecture
Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 1pm & 7pm
Winnetka Community House
620 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka, IL 60093

Lively discussions moderated by local psychological professionals will let you react to the Wednesday night lecture and explore the impact and resonance of John Cacioppo's ideas on your family and our community.

Moderators will be Al Ross, M.S.W.-Child & Adolescent Services Coordinator, Family Service of Glencoe; Robert Noone, Ph.D.-Executive Director, Family Service Center (Wilmette / Glenview / Northbrook / Kenilworth); Peggy Kubert, M.S.W.-Executive Director, Erika's Lighthouse; and Robert Mardirossian, Ph.D.-Executive Director of Family Service Winnetka-Northfield.

Space is limited, so please click here to register.

Click here to learn more about Dr. John Cacioppo.

Click here to view the John Cacioppo PDF flyer.