The cordial air -- Looking for nature neurons. The biophilia effect ; How many neuroscientists does it take to find a stinking milkvetch? -- Nearby nature : the first five minutes. The smell of survival ; Birdbrain ; Box of rain -- Five hours a month. You may squat down and feel a plant ; Garden of Hedon ; Rambling on -- Backcountry brain. Get over yourself : wilderness, creativity and the power of awe ; Water on the brain ; Please pass the hacksaw -- The city in a garden. Nature for the rest of us.
Summary: An investigation into the restorative benefits of nature draws on cutting-edge research and the author's explorations with international nature therapy programs to examine the relationship between nature and human cognition, mood, and creativity. --Publisher
For centuries, poets and philosophers extolled the benefits of a walk in the woods: Beethoven drew inspiration from rocks and trees; Wordsworth composed while walking over the heath; Nikola Tesla conceived the electric motor while visiting a park. From forest paths in Korea to islands in Finland to eucalyptus groves in California, Florence Williams investigates the science at the confluence of environment, mood, health and creativity. Delving into new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and strengthen our relationships. As our lives shift indoors, these ideas--and the answers they yield--are more urgent than ever.
Includes bibliographical references (pages [261]-280).
The cordial air -- Looking for nature neurons. The biophilia effect ; How many neuroscientists does it take to find a stinking milkvetch? -- Nearby nature : the first five minutes. The smell of survival ; Birdbrain ; Box of rain -- Five hours a month. You may squat down and feel a plant ; Garden of Hedon ; Rambling on -- Backcountry brain. Get over yourself : wilderness, creativity and the power of awe ; Water on the brain ; Please pass the hacksaw -- The city in a garden. Nature for the rest of us.
An investigation into the restorative benefits of nature draws on cutting-edge research and the author's explorations with international nature therapy programs to examine the relationship between nature and human cognition, mood, and creativity. --Publisher
Science journalist Williams' (Breasts, 2012) research leads to a scientist who hopes to design you guessed it an app so smartphones can measure the aesthetic and restorative powers of physical settings and users can crowdsource their findings. Various scientists hook Williams up to gear that either tries to measure her contentment or tries to imitate nature. She usually emerges with motion sickness, or her vital signs don't react as predicted. Williams visits Japan and South Korea, whose national programs in forest bathing, or experiencing nature, aim to slash health-care costs, mainly by reducing stress. In Finland, which is also seeking to reduce the cost of health care, she meets researchers who claim that humans need a minimum of five hours of exposure to nature a month. In Scotland, she observes nature therapy for petty criminals and former drug addicts. Williams often states that real nature works better than fake nature, but the only large-scale slowdown in the speeding spread of techno-mediated life is when a blizzard forces intimacy with the wild. This topical inquiry should be in demand.--Carr, Dane Copyright 2017 Booklist
Author notes provided by Syndetics
Florence Williams is a journalist and contributing editor to Outside magazine. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, and National Geographic among others. Her first book, Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, was a New York Times Notable Book of 2012 and the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science and Technology. Williams lives in Washington, DC.