Florence Williams: Your Brain on Nature

For centuries, creative thinkers have extolled the benefits of time spent in nature: 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, journalist Florence Williams has set out to uncover the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain. Combining cutting-edge research with anecdotal evidence from around the world, The Nature Fix demonstrates that our connection to nature is much more important to our cognition than we think and that even small amounts of exposure to the living world can improve our creativity and enhance our mood. Williams’ findings show that time outdoors is not a luxury but is in fact essential to our humanity. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these findings seem more important than ever. REI’s Rob Discher will join her onstage for a moderated Q & A.

Video courtesy of Pirate TV Seattle: http://www.piratetvseattle.com/