Technology Weakens Our Minds. We Can Fix This.

Today, we take for granted that diet and exercise are vitally important for our health and well-being. But we didn't always think this way. Much of this awareness emerged in a remarkably short span of time during the middle of the last century.

In 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower suffered a heart attack after playing golf in Denver. This event shocked the nation. The president was just 64 years old and projected American strength and vitality. The surgeon general at the time said that hearing the news about the heart attack was like learning about the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Instead of retreating into secrecy, the White House flew in Dr. Paul Dudley White, a leading cardiologist who helped found the American Heart Association. Dr. White set a new standard for transparency. When he spoke to the press, he went beyond explaining the president's condition and sought to educate the public about cardiac events more generally.