Blue mind : the surprising science that shows how being near, in, on, or under water can make you happier, healthier, more connected, and better at what you do
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-321) and index.

Discusses the importance of humans' connection to water and how people are drawn to being in, on, or around oceans, rivers, and lakes and points to recent findings in neuroscience that indicate that proximity to water can improve mood, performance, health, and success.

"There's something about water that attracts and fascinates us. No wonder: it's the most omnipresent substance on Earth and, along with air, the primary ingredient for supporting life as we know it. From far, far outside, our planet looks like a blue marble; from deep inside, we ourselves are three-quarters H₂O. We know instinctively that being near water makes us healthier and happier, reduces stress, and brings us peace. But why? And what might the answer tell us about how we should be living our lives? After centuries of asking these questions, we can finally answer them--and those answers are life changing. As Wallace J. Nichols reveals in Blue Mind, we are now at the forefront of a wave of neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and medical research that illuminates the physiological and brain processes that underlie our transformative connection to water. That research, involving tools like EEGs, MRIs, and fMRIs, is uncovering remarkable truths about water's incredibly powerful, and startlingly profound, effects on our bodies and souls. Drawing on this breakthrough science, and on compelling personal stories from top athletes, leading scientists, military veterans, and gifted artists, Nichols shows precisely how proximity to water can: improve performance in a wide range of fields; increase calm and diminish anxiety much better than medication; amplify creativity--artistic and otherwise; increase generosity and compassion; increase professional success; improve our overall health and well-being; reinforce our connection to the natural world--and one another."--Jacket.