Good Nature: Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants Is Good for Our Health

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. Examining the rewards of smelling plants, Willis (Botanicum), a biodiversity professor at Oxford University, notes research that found inhaling the fragrance of cypress and juniper trees raises the number of lymphocytes (cells that destroy infected or cancer-causing cells) in the blood. Even brief glimpses of nature confer advantages, Willis contends, describing how university students who viewed a “flowering green roof” from their classroom window for 40 seconds before a test performed better than peers who instead saw a “bare concrete roof.” Willis is refreshingly candid about the limits of the scientific literature, contending, for instance, that though a few studies have shown that touching wood bestows calming effects, “a lot more work is clearly needed” before drawing definitive conclusions. Additionally, 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. Agent: Rebecca Carter, Rebecca Carter Literary. (Dec.)