<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><em>---</em></p> <p>Practical tips for accessing the healthcare of nature no matter where you live.</p> <p><br /></p> <p>It's very possible that you've heard the long list of physiological and psychological benefits that one can derive from getting out into nature. Those benefits include improved mood, boosted immune system, lowered blood pressure and more. That being said, 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas. So today, we're going to talk to an expert about how to derive the many benefits of nature, no matter where you are.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><a href="https://www.dacherkeltner.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dr. Keltner</a> is one of the world's foremost emotion scientists. He is a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and the director of the Greater Good Science Center. He has over 200 scientific publications and six books, including Born to Be Good, The Compassionate Instinct, The Power Paradox, and Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. He has written for many popular outlets, from The New York Times to Slate, and has consulted extensively for Google, Apple, and Pinterest, on issues related to emotion and well-being. He also hosts the podcast The Science of Happiness.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The importance of opening our senses to nature </li> <li>The power of birdsong</li> <li>The science of street trees and their impact on depression</li> <li>How taking pictures of our local environment can enhance focus and productivity</li> <li>And lastly, how we can harness the power of our imagination </li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Related Episodes:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/dacher-keltner-bonus-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Science Of How Nature Changes Your Brain—From Sleep To Cognition To Your Nervous System | Dacher Keltner</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.happierapp.com/podcast/tph/dacher-keltner-546" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#546. This Scientist Says One Emotion Might Be the Key to Happiness. Can You Guess What It Is? | Dacher Keltner</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.happierapp.com/podcast/tph/linda-akeson-mcgurk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We Know Nature Is Good for Us. Here's How To Make Time for It, Scandinavian Style | Linda Åkeson McGurk</a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Sign up for Dan's newsletter</strong> <a href="http://www.danharris.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Follow Dan on social:</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>TikTok</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Ten Percent Happier online</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/46TZglY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>bookstore</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Subscribe to our</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>YouTube Channel</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Our favorite playlists on:</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3Qa8kMT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Anxiety</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3MjtMxF" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sleep</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QvyA5J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Relationships</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QxZASc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Most Popular Episodes</strong></a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href="https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/dacher-keltner-bonus-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/dacher-keltner-bonus-2</a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Additional Resources:</strong></p> <p>Download the Happier app today: <a href="https://my.happierapp.com/link/download" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://my.happierapp.com/link/download</a></p> <p><br /></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Intentionally Open Senses to Nature
Be intentional about finding natural spaces in cities and open all your senses to experience nature’s benefits.
2. Visit City Parks
Seek out and visit city parks, regional parks, or rewilded patches, as they offer astounding benefits like reduced depression and anxiety, and better activity for the elderly.
3. Practice Mindful Yard Work
Engage in yard work like sweeping or raking, slowing down, being aware, and deepening your breathing, or care for indoor plants, as this helps with depression and general well-being.
4. Listen to Live Birdsong
Go to a place where you can hear birds, pause, quiet your mind, and listen to derive benefits for calmness and ease.
5. Listen to Live Water Sounds
Take a moment to listen to natural water sounds like rain or a stream, as this has benefits.
6. Engage with Live Flowers
Be intentional about finding and opening your senses to flowers, as their chemicals can calm the stress response in your body.
7. Live Near Diverse Trees
Seek to live in neighborhoods with diverse trees or participate in planting them, as proximity to green spaces and trees is linked to reduced depression and anxiety.
8. Interact with Pets
Relate to your pet, especially dogs, by looking them in the eye for oxytocin release, and consider walking them to get out into nature, which offers mental and physical health benefits.
9. Watch Nature Documentaries
Watch compelling nature documentaries like BBC Earth, as this can deactivate stress and self-focused regions of your brain, offering benefits similar to meditating or yoga.
10. Play Nature Sound Recordings
Listen to recordings of birdsong or water sounds on your phone, as this can calm your body and elevate the vagus nerve, helping you open up, calm, and concentrate better.
11. Buy and Observe Cut Flowers
Purchase cut flowers and observe their beauty, colors, patterns, and fractal unfolding, as this can benefit your sense of beauty, calm, and attentional freeing.
12. Engage with Natural Fragrances
Seek out and enjoy natural fragrances like rosemary, as they are part of nature and have benefits.
13. Mindfully Photograph Nature
Take pictures of nature in your environment as a reflective act to savor moments of awe and beauty, but do so carefully and judiciously to avoid distraction from direct experience.
14. Practice Slow Looking in Nature
Engage in “slow looking” by mentally noting details in a natural scene, such as colors, shapes, shadows, and patterns, to deepen your perceptual experience.