Good Nature: Improve Your Health and Happiness with Nature One Simple Step at a Time

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Should be mandatory reading ... A superb book CHRIS VAN TULLEKEN
Fascinating, comprehensive and highly convincing OBSERVER
I defy anyone to read this book and not embrace a life with plants! ISABELLA TREE

We know the benefits of eating your greens, getting your five a day or thirty plants a week. But what about the other ways that nature can help us lead healthier and happier lives

In this revolutionary book, Professor Kathy Willis reveals the surprising science behind the natural world and how we can harness its benefits to improve our health: whether its gardening with your bare hands to boost your gut microbiome; letting the scent of roses make you a calmer and safer driver; or tuning into birdsong to help reduce stress and even pain.

With applications for everything from which way we walk to work to choosing where our kids go to school, Good Nature brings the latest scientific research into our homes and workplaces, showing us how we can live better, happier, healthier and longer.

Reviews

Filled with practical tips, showing how increasing our exposure to plants by even small amounts can make a significant difference * Guardian *
This lucid and entertaining book presents compelling scientific evidence that proves what many of us have perhaps long suspected: nature is really good for us. I found it revelatory -- Richard Deverell, Director of Kew
Should be mandatory reading for teachers, clinicians and basically everyone else. What a superb book, marshalling together all of the evidence needed to make a case for more nature everywhere, for nature in all policies -- Chris van Tulleken
Weve all understood for years that spending time in nature makes us feel better. This brilliant and important book lays out the ground-breaking science behind the feeling. A critical tool arguing for us all to have access to diverse green spaces -- Rosie Boycott, author of OUR FARM
Good Nature is a game-changer the book that proves how living with plants transforms our lives. Beautifully written, masterfully explained, Kathy Willis reveals the cutting-edge science behind the power of flora to heal and sustain us from forests to the humble house plant. I defy anyone to read this book and not embrace a life with plants! -- Isabella Tree, author of WILDING
Loved it. It should be required reading for anybody who values their health. Her engaging writing cant help but change the way we look at the world and I will be astonished if any reader doesnt change at least some habits to take advantage of the fascinating benefits she so clearly outlines -- John Cherry, founder of Groundswell
Kathy Willis argues in this revealing, optimistic book [that] science backs up our instincts about the benefits of interacting with the natural world . . . As this lucid, readable book shows, in many cases, The prescription is NATURE -- Nick Rennison * Daily Mail *
Illuminating . . . Willis produces a fascinating, comprehensive and highly convincing argument * Observer *
The Japanese concept of forest bathing isnt simply a spiritual practice, according to Willis, an Oxford University biodiversity professor who shows that different kinds of contact with plants can affect humans in measurable ways. Maintaining a front garden might increase your mental health; looking at green spaces can raise academic performance. The author hopes for more studies and more data. Theres already enough to inspire you to stop and smell the roses * Los Angeles Times *
Fascinating * English Garden *
Willis, a professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford, incorporates stimulating research results in her presentation of how sensory interaction with plants benefits our well-being. Willis passion for plants and advocacy for our green senses bloom throughout the book * Booklist *
Paleoecologist Kathy Willis explores the surprising physiological and psychological benefits of plants on human health in her entertaining, absorbing Good Nature * BookPage *
Readers dont have to know anything about plants or have a green thumb to enjoy this title about nature therapy and the impact it can have on ones health. City planners and public health policy makers can benefit from reading this book as well * Library Journal *
Exposure to nature, and plants in particular, can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and boost the immune system, among other benefits, according to this eye-opening survey. Willis offers pragmatic recommendations on how to take advantage of the research findings, suggesting that while 'incorporating real elements of nature such as wood and plants into our homes' provides the strongest boost to physical and mental well-being, images or recordings of natural settings can be used when thats not practical. This fascinates * Publishers Weekly *

Author Bio

Katherine Willis CBE is Professor of Biodiversity in the Department of Biology and the Principal of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford. She is also a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. Previous roles include Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and a member of the UK Governments Natural Capital Committee. She has extensive broadcast experience and, in 2015, Kathy was awarded the Michael Faraday Medal for public communication of science from the Royal Society.