This talk is a summary of Dr. Cohen’s research over the last 45 years. It is organized by “pivots” – experiences that altered the direction of his work. Work he will discuss includes studies of the effects of environmental noise (traffic and aircraft) on cognition, affect and physiology of elementary school children; of the role of social ties, social supports, and social conflicts in physical health; of the roles of stress and social support in smoking cessation; of psychological factors in immunity and host resistance to infectious disease; of the conceptualization and measurement of psychological stress; and of socioeconomic status and health, particularly childhood SES as a predictor of adult health.