Losing Eden
Our Fundamental Need for the Natural World and Its Ability to Heal Body and Soul
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
A fascinating look at why human beings have a powerful mental, spiritual, and physical need for the natural world—and the cutting-edge scientific evidence that proves nature is nurture.
“A powerful and beautifully written survey of the latest scientific research into the vast range of benefits to our minds, bodies, and spirits when we do things outside.” —Anthony Doerr, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of All the Light We Cannot See
Lucy Jones interweaves her deeply personal story of recovery from addiction and depression with that of discovering the natural world and how it aided and enlivened her progress, giving her a renewed sense of belonging and purpose.
Jones writes of the intersection of science, wellness, and the environment, and reveals that in the last decade, scientists have begun to formulate theories of why people feel better after a walk in the woods and an experience with the natural world. She describes the recent data that supports evidence of biological and neurological responses: the lowering of cortisol (released in response to stress), the boost in cortical attention control that helps us to concentrate and subdues mental fatigue, and the increase in activity in the parasympathetic nervous system, slowing the heart and allowing the body to rest.
“The connection between mental health and the natural world turns out to be strong and deep—which is good news in that it offers those feeling soul-sick the possibility that falling in love with the world around them might be remarkably helpful.” —Bill McKibben
“Beautifully written, movingly told and meticulously researched. An elegy to the healing power of nature. A convincing plea for a wilder, richer world.” —Isabella Tree, author of Wilding
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Science is finally catching up to the fact that humans' well-being depends on being out in nature, writes journalist Jones (Foxes Unearthed) in this moving exploration of "nature as a healing force." She bolsters her contention that good health and access to the natural world are inextricably linked by surveying the research on nature immersion "from neuroscientists in California to microbiologists in Eastern Europe"; research done at the University of Glasgow that suggests "greener neigbhourhoods which offer a connection with nature might actually reduce the health gap between rich and poor"; studies that explore the ocean's healing effect on veterans with PTSD; and data that suggests being outside decreases stress hormones. Jones also scours literature for traces of humans' emotional ties with nature, as with diaries from both world wars in which nature was "uplifting for those in combat." Along the way, Jones credits her own recovery from addiction in part to the time she spent on nature walks: "It became my rehab: it soothed my rawness and patched me back together." Equally impassioned and informative, Jones's survey hits the mark as an urgent plea to get outside.
