Contents
Chapter 1: Nature on the Brain: From Ancient Intuition to Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Biophilia—Humanity's Vital Bond with Nature
Nature: An Ancient Cure Abandoned
Neighborhood Greenness—Stress Buffer, Life Saver
Chapter 2: Backs to Nature, Sights on Screens: Are We Happy Yet?
Daily Hassles and Stress Physiology
Screen Culture and Nature Displacement
The Fork in the Road—What Are We Losing and What Can We Gain?
Chapter 3: Nature and Cognition: What Can Green Do for You?
The Discovery of Directed Attention Fatigue
Why Cognitive Restoration Matters
The Future of Nature and Cognition
Chapter 4: Something in the Air: Specific Elements of Nature on the Brain
Light—Natural Deprivation and Artificial Gluttony
Chapter 5: Green Exercise Is Like Exercise Squared
The Cognitive Benefits of Exercise
How Does Exercise Promote Brain Health?
Adherence—Promoting the Brain Benefits of Exercise
Green Exercise Trumps the Treadmill
Putting Research into Motion—Practical Solutions
Chapter 6: Kingdom Animalia: The Last Stronghold of Nature on the Brain
Get Us to the Green'Physical Benefits of Pet Ownership
Animals and Mental Health Care
Animal Interactions and Cognitive Performance
Chapter 7: Practical Nature Interventions: Horticultural and Wilderness Therapies
Historical Aspects of Gardening for Mental Health
From Anecdote to Scientific Inquiry
Gardening, Physical Activity, and Stress Hormones
Soil, Its Beneficial Bacteria, and the Brain
Gardening Changes the Brain for Life
Wilderness and Adventure Therapy
A Higher Dose of Forest Medicine
What Makes Wilderness Effective?
Gardening and Wilderness'Self, Community, Planet
Chapter 8: The Brain on Nature's Nutrients: Nutri-Ecopsychology
It's All Part of a Balanced Diet
For Us or Against Us'Changing the Brain with Foods
Dietary Patterns, Depression, and Cognition
Bringing Back Nature'Mediterranean or Traditional Diet
Dietary Supplements and the Brain
Chapter 9: Vis Medicatrix Naturae: The Healing Power of Nature and Ecotherapy
Ecopsychology in North America—What Took So Long?
The Doctor Is In—a New Psychotherapy Office
Vitamin G Prescriptions—Forest, not Pharmacy
Plastic Trees and Plasma Screens—Providing Communion with Nature?
The Leisure Problem and Nature Identity
Cities of the Future—Vis Medicatrix Naturae for All
Step Out of the Blogosphere and into the Atmosphere
Natural and Holistic Medicine Organizations