Good Nature

Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants is Good for Our Health

Kathy Willis

A Next Big Idea Club must-read selection for December!

A ground-breaking investigation into newly discovered evidence showing that remarkable things happen to our bodies and our minds when our senses connect with the natural world.

We all take for granted the idea that being in nature makes us feel better. But if you were a skeptical scientist—or indeed any kind of skeptic—who wanted hard scientific evidence for this idea, where would you look? And how would that evidence be gathered?

It wasn’t until Dr. Kathy Willis was asked to contribute to an international project looking for the societal benefits we gain from plants that she stumbled across a study that radically changed the way she saw the natural world. In the study there was clear proof that patients recovering from gall bladder operations recovered more quickly if they were looking at trees.

In fact, in the last decade there has been an explosion of “proof" that incredible things happen to our bodies and our minds when our senses interact with the natural world. In Good Nature, Kathy Willis takes the reader on a journey with her to dig out all the experiments around the world that are looking for this evidence—experiments made easier by the new kinds of data being collected from satellites and big-data biobanks. Having a vase of roses on your desk or a green wall in your office makes a measurable difference to your well-being; certain scents in room diffusers genuinely can boost your immune system; and, in a chapter that Kathy calls "Hidden Sense," we learn that touching organic soil has a significant effect on the healthiness of your microbiome.

What is remarkable about this book is how its revelations should be commonsense—schools should let children play in nature to improve their health and concentration; urban streets should have trees—and yet it reveals just how difficult it is to prove this to businesses and governments. As Kathy Willis says in her narrative, "We now know enough to self-prescribe in our homes, offices or working spaces, gardens, and when out walking. However small these individual actions might be, overall they have the potential to provide a large number of health benefits. And we need to be encouraging others to do the same. Nature is far more than just something that is useful for our health. It is not a dispensable commodity. It is an inherent part of us."

Katherine Willis CBE is Professor of Biodiversity in the department of biology and the principal of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford. Her research aims to understand how plant biodiversity responds, over time and space, to climate change and other environmental drivers. She is internationally recognized for her work and has led a number of initiatives to assimilate global knowledge on plant biodiversity. Her broadcasting work has included writing and presenting on several BBC television and radio programs. She is the author of Botanicum and was awarded the Michael Faraday Medal for public communication of science from the Royal Society in 2015. Kathy lives in Oxford, England.

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Endorsements & Reviews

"Readers don’t 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 one’s 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 that’s not practical. This fascinates." Publishers Weekly

"When you listen to the rustling of leaves generated by a brisk breeze, sniff a fragrant flower, touch the bark of a tree, or simply gaze at green space, these experiences engender a sense of tranquility. But there is much more happening as our senses engage with nature. Flora appears to be fantastic for human health, mental and physical. 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

“Loved it. It should be required reading for anybody who values their health. Her engaging writing can't help but change the way we look at the world and I will be astonished if any reader doesn't change at least some habits to take advantage of the fascinating benefits she so clearly outlines.” John Cherry, founder of Groundswell

“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

“We've 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

“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