Description: From the acclaimed founder of environmental neuroscience, an "eye-opening" (Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author), "brilliant and persuasive" (Kirkus Reviews) guide that reveals how interacting with nature can be the secret to improved mental and physical health.
Dr. Marc Berman, the pioneering creator of the field of environmental neuroscience, has discovered the surprising connection between mind, body, and nature. He has devoted his life to studying it. If you sometimes feel drained, distracted, or depressed, Dr. Berman has identified the elements of a "nature prescription" that can boost your energy, sharpen your focus, change your mood, and improve your mental and physical health. He also reveals how central attention--a resource constantly taxed in our modern lives--is to all of these functions, and how interactions with nature can restore it. Nature and the Mind is both an introduction to a revolutionary new scientific field and a helpful guide to better living. In these pages, he draws on his original research and research from others and shares life-altering findings such as:- Just eleven more trees on your street can decrease cardio-metabolic disorders like stroke, diabetes, and heart disease.
- A short walk in nature can improve attention by almost twenty percent, decrease depression symptoms, and make people feel more spiritual and self-reflective.
- More green space around schools and homes is related to better school performance, reduced crime, and improved working memory.
- Many of these effects can be achieved even if you don't like nature. With an engaging and approachable style, Dr. Berman offers the nature prescription for physical health, mental health, and social health. Importantly, you don't have to pack up your house and move to the country to participate. The nature prescription includes practical ways to bring the outside indoors and to "naturize" our spaces, no matter where you live. The positive effects of nature don't just end at the individual; contact with nature can make people more caring towards one another, promote economic and racial justice, encourage people to care more for the environment, and more. This groundbreaking guide explains why and how nature is good for our brains and bodies and gives us a window into fundamental aspects of our psychology and physiology that can be improved through interactions with nature.
Brief description: A student of neuroscience and speech pathology, Sean Patrick Hopkins has translated his understanding of human behavior and vocal performance into a career in storytelling. His classical training and versatility with dialects has helped to create distinct and varied characters across many genres. In addition to narrating over 100 audiobooks, he has been seen and heard on film, television, video games, and stages in New York City and across the country. When not in the booth, you can find him buried in genealogy research, out exploring our National Parks, and raising an amazing daughter alongside his wife, fellow narrator Patricia Santomasso.