Dive South Asia: Blue Mind

Dive South Asia is a collection of little bits of flotsam from around the web and other places related to the world below sea level particularly, but not restricted to, scuba diving et al in Asia.

Spending an inordinately large amount of time browsing the dark corners of amazon.com, we came across ”Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do”. Happiness seems to be the new ‘immortality’ and all manner of 21st century alchemists of the mind have been proposing poignant prescriptions on the best way to ‘be happy’, but there are only a few who delve deeper into the psychological and neurological aspects of that obscure feeling labeled ‘happiness’ and lay out insightful observation. We’re hoping ‘Blue Mind’ makes it to that short list. While the ‘Mammalian Diving Reflex’ is a well known physiological response to dunking ourselves underwater and we already know that ‘beach holidays’ are stuff that happiness is made of, we’re hoping this book can shed some more intelligent light on the much bandied ‘scuba diver’s are happy people’ and gives us something weighty to throw around  in an argument on where to take the next holiday (the beach, of course!).

Albert Einstein famously said that “Combinatory play seems to be the essential feature in productive thought” and multi disciplinary approaches to problem solving essentially go against a reductionist mindset, following a more ‘holistic’ approach to solving problems that otherwise escape solution. In ‘Blue Mind’, Wallace J. Nichols,attempts to bring together the seemingly disparate disciplines of marine biology, oceanography, cognitive science and various art forms to tread new ground in a field he has christened ‘neuroconservation’.

Armed with degrees in Biology, Spanish, Environmental Policy & Economics and a PhD in Wildlife Ecology in Evolutionary Biology, Dr. Nichols has an extensive list of publications in his field and organises the ‘Blue Mind Summit’ every year as a collaborative space for…

…neuroscientists, oceanographers, explorers, educators and artist to consider new questions about the “human brain on water”

Expected to be released in June 2014, Amazon.com’s description of the book reads:

A landmark book by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols on the remarkable effects of water on our health and well-being.

Why are we drawn to the ocean each summer? Why does being near water set our minds and bodies at ease? In BLUE MIND, Wallace J. Nichols revolutionizes how we think about these questions, revealing the remarkable truth about the benefits of being in, on, under, or simply near water. Combining cutting-edge neuroscience with compelling personal stories from top athletes, leading scientists, military veterans, and gifted artists, he shows how proximity to water can improve performance, increase calm, diminish anxiety, and increase professional success.

BLUE MIND not only illustrates the crucial importance of our connection to water-it provides a paradigm shifting “blueprint” for a better life on this Blue Marble we call home.

We’ll certainly be reading this book when is released and hope it lives up to the expectations being generated prior to its launch. Meanwhile,

More on Wallace J. Nichols and the book HERE

For Wallace J. Nichols’ articles on Huffington Post, see HERE