It Takes You to Tango: Leverage the science of loneliness to master the art of connection

"A timeless classic."
— Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO, Thrive Global

From internationally recognized resilience and well-being expert and former Professor of Medicine, Dr. Amit Sood, comes a completely fresh approach to loneliness and happiness, one that invites you to connect-in so you can connect-out.

The unabated rise of loneliness and mental health issues calls for newer, simpler, and more effective approaches. This is where It Takes You to Tango can be your beacon of hope.

Written by Dr. Amit Sood, a parent, physician, and resilience and well-being expert, the book synthesizes Dr. Sood’s learnings across two continents over four decades, helping tens of thousands of patients, clients, and students negotiate some of life’s toughest emotional and relationship challenges. Dr. Sood dispels the myth that the main reason behind our loneliness is fewer social connections when, in fact, it is our disconnect with ourselves.

For years, we have pushed away at healthy self-worth by mislabeling it as self-absorption. We call self-compassion as indulging, self-acceptance a sign of weakness, and self-forgiveness as giving us a free pass. The result is a disturbing mental hum of guilt and self-doubt that separates us from ourselves, creating an “inner loneliness” that seldom responds to increasing social contact.

Importantly, Dr. Sood provides a clear call to action: an enduring impact on loneliness and mental health starts with forging a positive relationship with oneself. Neglecting the self is a prime reason why some of our previous efforts have yielded disappointing results. He suggests a gentle, skill-based, three-step approach:

1. Shed self-rejection by taming guilt and shame.
2. Build self-worth by converting hurtful into helpful comparisons.
3. Nurture self-love by growing self-compassion, self-acceptance, and self-forgiveness.

With loneliness and mental health problems reaching a crisis point, we can’t ignore Dr. Sood’s thoughtful, well-researched, simple, and actionable approach to help us live better emotional and social lives. It Takes You to Tango empowers us all to work together to create a kinder, happier, and more hopeful world for ourselves and our children.

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About the Author: Dr. Amit Sood is the CEO of the Global Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing, a former Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, and Director of the Mind-Body Medicine Initiative. He is internationally known for his work on stress management, resilience, wellbeing, mindfulness, & burnout.

Dr. Sood has authored or co-authored over 80 peer-reviewed articles and has authored multiple books including The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living, The Mayo Clinic Handbook for Happiness, Mindfulness Redesigned, Stronger, SMART with Dr. Sood, & That Makes Sense.

As an international expert in his field, Dr. Sood’s work has been widely cited in the press including The Atlantic Monthly, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, & CBS News.

Dr. Sood has presented keynotes at some of the highest impact forums like, TEDx, Lake Nona, Forbes Under 30 Forum, YPO, NPR, NAMI, NASA, Delta Airlines, PepsiCo, Mayo Clinic, & American Psychological Association.

Dr. Sood received the 2010 Distinguished Service Award, the 2010 Innovator of the Year Award, the 2013 Outstanding Physician Scientist Award, and the 2016 Faculty of the Year Award from Mayo Clinic. He also was honored as the Robert Wood Johnson Health Care Pioneer in 2015. The Intelligent Optimist (formerly Ode Magazine) selected Dr. Sood as one among top 20 intelligent optimists helping the world to be a better place. Dr. Sood serves on the well-being advisory board for Everyday Health, scientific advisory board for Thrive Global, & is an Industrial Fellow with UC Berkeley.