Read 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 (2014)
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 (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
i listened to the audio version, narrated by the author. Double-sided response here. 1) There are reasons why there are professionals who get paid for recording books. I need to give this author kudos for doing it, but I don't think this was the best choice. It is not a "smooth" listen. 2) If the author would not have recorded it I probably never would have experienced it. Because of my disability it is hard for me to physically hold books so this is how I get most of my "reading" accomplished. Especially non-fiction.As for content.... I have a fairly good non-Ph.D. background in neuroscience. (I actually worked for a few years in one of the labs mentioned in this book.) The field is is exploding, in part due to the continually evolving technology that provides methodological tools. And I generally find the popular press summaries of what is being learned, like this one, much more entertaining than a Cochrane Review. But after one has read a few of them the back-stories to the research get a bit repetitive. And one of the disadvantages to taking in a book like this in audio version is that you do not have a mechanism to skim text you find tedious. That being said, I think the messages in this book are worth the effort of the read. But then again, I have always been a person incredibly drawn to water - which is why this book caught my eye in the first place. The author clearly catalogs the effects of water on all of us from the personal to global level. While none of this comes off as "light bulb moment" realization, the compilation has the potential as food for thought. The subtitle says it all "the surprising science" because- surprise! - there is no ( or very little) science in this book. Quoting people about why they like water is not science. Talking about something different and then saying "sounds a lot like Blue Mind" is not science. Using a study of less than 20 people is not science. Many of the other studies he cites ARE science, but they are not about how we relate to water- he just extrapolates. There was only enough information here for an article in the Sunday Times magazine. As an avid water person I did enjoy reading the stories and information. But it there was very little science to back them up.
What do You think about 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 (2014)?
Great premise, ideas and science. Found the organization and writing a little clunky.
—Lizz
book is on hold a friend wanted to read it first i will come back to it...
—swalston
Gave me a deeper understanding of why I love going to the beach.
—jeniefer
I KNEW I liked being out in nature and by the water!
—nba
