Brought to you by Penguin.

In Nature and The Mind, leading neuroscientist Dr Marc Berman explains how nature captures attention in ways that lead to improvements in cognitive performance, but also in self-control, reduced aggression, and crime. His research shows the different ways that interaction with nature also increases self-reflective thought and spirituality. Incredibly, you don’t even need to like being in nature to get these benefits. Some of them can be obtained from proximity with architecture, art, or stimuli that simply mimic patterns of nature.

On top of the mental benefits, our interactions with nature also affect our physical state. The fractal patterns, where the same branching pattern is repeated throughout a structure such as the branches of a tree, and curved edge structures of nature may place the brain in more rested states, that can rejuvenate us and generate “attention restoration.” What if we knew how to harness attention restoration for our brain health and focus, to help us become calmer, more productive and less distracted?

We know from schemes within our NHS, seeing nature out of a hospital window can speed recovery from surgery. There are projects across Britain set up to encourage ‘time in nature’ to be prescribed as part of the treatment plan for those suffering with mental health issues. Nature and The Mind is a groundbreaking book, the first of its kind to reveal the new science behind why.

© Dr Marc Berman 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025