The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier… - Florence Williams

Written by Florence Williams
Read by Emily Woo Zeller
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative

Publisher: HighBridge
Release date: February 7, 2017
Duration: 08:58:12

For centuries, poets and philosophers extolled the benefits of a walk in the woods: Beethoven drew inspiration from rocks and trees; Wordsworth composed while tromping over the heath; Nikola Tesla conceived the electric motor while visiting a park. Intrigued by our storied renewal in the natural world, Florence Williams sets out to uncover the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain. From forest trails in Korea, to islands in Finland, to groves of eucalyptus in California, Williams investigates the science at the confluence of environment, mood, health, and creativity. Delving into completely new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and ultimately strengthen our relationships. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas, and the answers they yield are more urgent than ever.

“Did you know that breathing in the scent of pine trees can immediately lower your blood pressure? That’s just one of the facts listeners will learn in Williams’s exploration of how exposure to nature can affect our well-being. Unfortunately, Emily Woo Zeller inserts herself a bit too much into the narration, which distracts from rather than enhances the text. A more straightforward reading would have better served Williams’s fascinating book. As she participates in studies, shares research findings, and tries to find nature in her adopted Washington, DC, neighborhood, Williams eventually arrives at this cogent advice: “Go outside, often, sometimes in wild places. Bring friends or not. Breathe.”—AudioFile