Nature and the Mind: The Science of How Nature Improves Cognitive, Physical, and Social Well-Being

In 2018, Florence Williams’s The Nature Fix showed science behind some of the positive effects of the natural world on human health. Now, neuroscientist Marc Berman takes us deeper, much deeper, into the fundamental wiring proving us creatures of our environment. Berman founded the Environmental Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Chicago, and Nature and the Mind is heavier on science than anecdote. That science is compelling. One example: his experiments show we are drawn to curved lines, differing colors, and fractals, all elements of nature. When we add those elements to our built environments—like hospital rooms with views of trees—the outcomes are overwhelmingly better for us.