Your Brain on Nature, by Dr. Eva Selhub and Dr. Alan Logan, is an exciting exploration of the many ways that being in or near the natural world improves our health.  I found myself wanting to underline so many paragraphs as I read that if I had done so, most of the book would have been highlighted. As a result, I want to recommend that you find a copy of this book to glean the parts that are most important for you.

Among the study results that the authors shared and I found fascinating are:

• The presence of green plants, even something as small as potted plants in an office, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and the presence of plants amplify alpha-wave activity. Alpha waves are associated with a meditative, calm state.
• Time in nature or with indoor plants also improves cognitive function.
• Plants can reduce one’s subjective experience of pain. Their use in hospitals—including rooms with views of nature out the window—were like drops of morphine for the brain.
• Even photographs of plants are beneficial to brain health.
• The smells of nature reduce the production of stress hormones, reduce feelings of anxiety, and boost natural killer cells, meaning that immune system function improves.
• The sounds of nature lower stress and improve sleep.
• In ancient Rome, health care providers recommended garden walks for those struggling with mental illness and got good results. In modern times, many Japanese partake in Shinrin Yoku, or forest bathing (walks in forests) to restore themselves mentally and physically.
• Companion animals, as any pet lover will affirm, are good for both mental and physical health.

With so many benefits, it’s obvious that the authors want you to break away from your screens and spend more time in green spaces outdoors, and to integrate the natural world into your indoors life as much as possible.

For more details, and to find some of the many other wonderful facts this book contains that I have not shared here, please find a way to read or listen to it.  I have a copy in my office to share if you are local and want to borrow it.