The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams.

3/5 rating. 258 pages.

Book #78 of 2020. Read October 29, 2020.

This book is a (nature) walk through all of the relevant tales and data about the benefits that nature has on us as humans.

As we have become more technologically advanced and more urban, people have suffered from a withdrawal from nature. This is something that we can often feel, but Florence does a great job of actually looking at the science behind what we are missing. As Florence says:

“We don’t experience natural environments enough to realize how restored they can make us feel, nor are we aware that studies also show they make us healthier, more creative, more empathetic and more apt to engage with the world and with each other. Nature, it turns out, is good for civilization.”

The great thing is that we can see benefits from even the smallest interaction with nature. Take a walk that goes near some trees; inhale, look at them for a bit and it can boost mood and increase memory and brain function. Even larger improvement come from longer “exposures” and forays.

The most shocking and surprising data came out of German schools: “Germany sponsored an even more ambitious study in the 1970s. There, researchers tracked graduates of 100 kindergartens. Half the programs were play-based (although not necessarily outdoors) and half were academic and instruction-based. The academic students made initial gains; but by grade four they had fallen behind their play-based peers on every scholastic and socioemotional measure used.”

Florence sums up the book nicely: “Here are some of the essential take-homes: we all need nearby nature: we benefit cognitively and psychologically from having trees, bodies of water, and green spaces just to look at; we should be smarter about landscaping our schools, hospitals, workplaces and neighborhoods so everyone gains.”

This book is pretty interesting, but didn’t really blow me away. Just know that nature is so important for people in order to live full lives. We need to incorporate it more in our cities, protect our National Parks, and fight for the sanctity of other nature areas, if nothing else, for us to enjoy the untouched beauty.

Quotes:

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.” – Edward Abbey

“We don’t experience natural environments enough to realize how restored they can make us feel, nor are we aware that studies also show they make us healthier, more creative, more empathetic and more apt to engage with the world and with each other. Nature, it turns out, is good for civilization.”

“I am degenerating into a machine for making money.” – John Muir

“Noise may well be the most pervasive pollutant in America.”

“Calvin: Look at all the stars! The universe just goes out forever and ever!

Hobbes: It kind of makes you wonder why man considers himself such a big screaming deal.” – Bill Watterson

“‘At the end of the day,’ said Strayer, his eyes grazing the horizon, ‘we come out in nature not because the science says it does something to us, but because of how it makes us feel.’”

“Germany sponsored an even more ambitious study in the 1970s. There, researchers tracked graduates of 100 kindergartens. Half the programs were play-based (although not necessarily outdoors) and half were academic and instruction-based. The academic students made initial gains; but by grade four they had fallen behind their play-based peers on every scholastic and socioemotional measure used.”

“In 2004, 70 percent of U.S. mothers recalled that they had played freely outside themselves when they were children, yet only 31 percent allowed their children to do the same despite a drop in crime since then.”

“If man is not to live by bread alone, what is better worth doing well than the planting of trees?” – Frederick Law Olmsted

“Here are some of the essential take-homes: we all need nearby nature: we benefit cognitively and psychologically from having trees, bodies of water, and green spaces just to look at; we should be smarter about landscaping our schools, hospitals, workplaces and neighborhoods so everyone gains.”

“Short exposures to nature can make us less aggressive, more creative, more civic minded and healthier overall.”

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