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Nichols, W.J.2015. 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. Reprint Edition. New York: Back Bay Books / Little, Brown, and Company. ISBN: 978‐0‐316‐25211‐9. (Paperback). Suggested Retail Price: $9.98 for Paperback on Amazon.com

2019; Wiley; Volume: 28; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/lob.10338

1539-6088

Christopher T. Filstrup,

Neuroscience, Education and Cognitive Function

The latter is the premise of Wallace J. Nichols' 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, in which Nichols establishes the foundation and provides supporting evidence for the effects of water on us. Having a “Blue Mind” is characterized by a mildly meditative state of calm, peacefulness, unity, and happiness inspired by water and associated elements. Wait, give me a second to explain. The author establishes early on that Blue Mind “isn't touchy-feely ‘let's save the dolphins’ conservation: we're talking prefrontal cortex, amygdala, evolutionary biology, neuroimaging, and neuron functioning…”; in other words, science. Blue Mind begins with a brief, yet insightful forward by Céline Cousteau followed by an introductory chapter in which Nichols makes two important points that are revisited throughout the book: (1) emotion should not be excluded from our science to help us more effectively communicate with diverse audiences, and (2) we could use a little more Blue Mind to help us deal with our overwhelming, overstressed, technology-filled lives. Scientific communication (https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1002/(ISSN)1539-6088.SciComm) and work-life balance (Fulweiler 2017; Sponberg 2019) are topics that are frequently discussed within the pages of the L&O Bulletin and at ASLO meetings. The next four chapters of Blue Mind present background information to help set up the rest of the book, from neuroscience and brain functioning, to perceptions of happiness and the effects of natural settings (including water) on our emotional state, to the economics of being near water, and to how work and play in water stimulates our senses and feeds our souls. My favorite parts of these initial chapters were passages on neuroplasticity and how our interactions with the environmental can restructure neural pathways throughout our lives, an example of how a surfer responds to a perceived threat (sharks!) from a neurochemical point of view, and an example of the author's work with fishing communities along the Pacific Coast of Mexico to conserve sea turtles that reinforces the importance of seeing opposing perspectives (“…we all needed to be able to look into each other's eyes and see our common humanity”). In the sixth chapter, Nichols contrasts the Red Mind with the Blue Mind and discusses how water can help move us toward the latter state. This is where the book really started to pick up for me. The Red Mind is characterized by “stress, anxiety, fear, and maybe even a little bit of anger and despair” (sound familiar). While Red Mind responses are critical for handling life-threatening situations, the same responses are commonly triggered by everyday situations. The remainder of the chapter discusses how water can help improve our mental health, including examples of soldiers coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, people dealing with addiction, and helping children with autism. The seventh chapter discusses the connection between water and creativity; more specifically how water can help provide us with the mental space to spark our creativity. The chapter touches on mindfulness and how numerous companies are offering mindfulness training to help increase productivity and creativity. The eighth chapter further discusses connecting with nature and how these experiences can help us put our everyday problems into perspective. A large portion of this chapter discusses scientific communication, both the good and the bad. Current approaches that “bore the heck out of them with a lot of facts” or “make them feel guilty or bad about themselves” are not working. Scientists should create “simple, emotionally compelling messages” or stories spoken in “plain language, without knots and tangles of scientific jargon” to engage the public in environmental issues. The final chapter briefly discusses the author's Blue Marbles Project, which is really interesting if you have attended a presentation by Nichols. Blue Mind is an interesting read and presents a different perspective on water than we typically think about during the course of our hectic days. It provides a good way to escape these “distractions” and reflect a little more deeply on water and why we love to study it. The book is filled with many great quotes on water from Jacques-Yves Cousteau, John Muir, and Henry David Thoreau, to Jane Austen and Stephen King, to Duke Kahanamoku and Bruce Lee. I must admit that it did take me a couple of attempts to make it through the introductory chapters of the book, but I am happy that I read the entire book from cover to cover. Now go out there and get your Blue Mind on!