Blog Tour/Review: The Bond by Lynne McTaggart

Welcome to Literary R&R's stop on Lynne McTaggart's The Bond virtual book tour.  The tour is being hosted by Pump Up Your Book.  Below, for this tour, we have a review of The Bond by the newest member of the Literary R&R review team, Kathy.  I hope you enjoy! =)

ISBN #: 978-1439157947

Page Count: 304

Copyright: 2011

Book Summary:

(Taken from back cover)

For centuries, Western science and many Western cultures have taught us to think of ourselves as individuals. But today, a revolutionary new understanding is emerging from the laboratories of the most cutting-edge physicists, biologists, and psychologists:


What matters is not the isolated entity, but the space between things, the relationship of things. The Bond.

 By international bestselling author Lynne McTaggart, The Bond is the culmination of her groundbreaking work. It offers a completely new, scientific story of life and the human experience, one that challenges the very way we conceive of ourselves and our world. The Bond shows that the essential impulse of all life is a will to connect rather than a drive to compete.

In fact, we are inescapably connected, hardwired to each other at our moet elemental level – from cells to whole societies. The desire to help others is so necessary that we experience it as one of our chief pleasures, as essential as eating and having sex, and we succeed and prosper only when we see ourselves as part of a greater whole. Every conflict that occurs – whether between husband and wife, social or racial groups, or nations – is resolved only when we can fully see and embrace the space – the bond – between us.

McTaggart offers detailed recommendations to help foster more holistic thinking, more cooperative relationships, and more unified social groups. Blending interviews and human stories into an absorbing narrative, she shows how:

• A simple daily practice conditions the brain to enable you to become more empathetic toward others
• A new way of speaking and listening can overcome polarization, helping the staunchest of enemies to become closer friends
• People who fire together wire together: Whenever a group works together for a common goal, the brains of all parties begin to get on the same wavelength, strengthening the bond within the group
• Fairness is more powerful than unfairness: A small group of individuals committed to strong reciprocity can “invade” a population of self-interested individuals and create a fairer society.

The Bond offers a breathtaking, visionary plan for a new way to live, in harmony with our true nature and with each other, and a new way to heal our relationships, our neighborhoods, and our world.

Kathy's Review:

In The Bond, a non-fiction work that is largely comprised of descriptions of scientific and social experiments and studies, Lynne McTaggart proposes that humans are not, by nature, competitive, although our society has most certainly become that way. Backing up her premise with science, McTaggart describes the true nature of human beings as wanting to belong, to agree with one another, to give, and to take turns. She describes The Bond as the space between things that connects us, that make us less individuals and more a part of a larger collective being. Again, this is contrary to the (particularly Western) belief that champions the individual.

In the beginning of the book, McTaggart attempts to explain The Bond (it is always shown in italics whenever it is mentioned throughout the book) by using the principles of quantum biology. Not a science person? I’m not either, and at first, I was put off by this. But, most of the studies McTaggart describes in the rest of the book examine human nature and how people (and sometimes, animals) react in various social situations. One example is the Prisoner’s Dilemma, a famous “game” or experiment wherein a group of men is randomly assigned to be either prisoners or prison guards. The study found that the prisoners actually bonded under harsh conditions and became stronger as a group. The study is meant to demonstrate the power of connecting with other human beings.

Also in The Bond McTaggart suggests that environment impacts health and wellbeing – not genetics. That genes can be turned on and off depending on external factors (again, that Bond). And although I am automatically skeptical whenever I hear claims like this, she offers some compelling evidence.

Finally, as a way to unlock our true human nature, McTaggart suggests a “Pay it Forward” mentality that can spread throughout society.

I would not recommend this book for everyone. It’s a challenging read, although every page will make you think. It’s chock-full of interesting insights about human behavior, and did make me question some of my behaviors and how I look at people. Overall, the book stresses the innate human need to belong to groups. I think we’ve really lost that. So, if you want a different perspective on how to live your life, and you’re open to learning about some of the research going on, definitely check it out.