Blue Mind by Wallace J. Nichols

“As I gradually restore Words Like Silver to its archive of reviews written between 2011 and 2024, I'll aim to first and foremost make my reading history explorable by publishing the blurbs and short reflections as books cross my mind, with the goal of eventually transferring and fleshing out the original WLS content. For now, please enjoy this brief spotlight.”

This is your brain on water.

There's something about water that attracts and fascinates us. No wonder: it's the most omnipresent subnstance on Earth and, along with air, the primary ingredient for supporting life as we know it. From far, far outside, our planet looks like a blue marble; from deep inside, we ourselves are three-quarters H2O.

We know instinctively that being near water makes us healthier and happier, reduces stress, and brings us peace. But why? And what might the answer tell us about how we should be living our lives?

After centuries of asking these questions, we can finally answer them - and those answers are life changing. As Wallace J. Nichols reveals in Blue Mind, we are now at the forefront of a wave of neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and medical research that illuminates the phsysiological and brain processes that underlie our transformative connection to water. That research, involving tools like EEGs, MRIs, and fMRIs, is uncovering remarkable truths about water's incredibly powerful, and startlingly profound, effects on our bodies and souls. Drawing on this breakthrough science, and on compelling personal stories from top athletes, leading scientists, military veterans, and gifted artists, Nichols shows precisely how proximity to water can:

-improve performance in a wide range of fields
-increase calm and diminish anxiety much better than medication
-amplify creativity - artistic and otherwise
-increase generosity and compassion
-increase professional success
-improve our overall health and well-being
-reinforce our connection to the natural world - and one another

Blue Mind isn't just about oceans, lakes, and rivers. Water's tremendous benefits stretch from the sea to the swimming pool, from a barrier reef to a glass of water - even a fishbowl, photograph, or painting. So no matter where you live on this big blue marble, it's time to get your brain on water.

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Blue Mind is specifically about how water impacts each of us — being around it, thinking about it, and being submerged in it. Whether you’re an avid swimmer, or in a landlocked state, there are plenty of helpful tips and tricks about how to properly harness the ways that it can shape your brain. Even just listening to ocean sounds, whether you’re studying or trying to sleep, has such a positive effect.

I grew up around the ocean, and so many of my favorite memories relate to that setting. I feel at home when I taste salt in the air. Nothing feels better than the sun under my skin.

Blue Mind is excellent for so many reasons. For those new to psychology — or psychological books, which I devour — it’s a thorough and thoughtful overview of many of the most relevant concepts to our happiness.

For those who enjoy nature writing, it speaks spiritually (but not in a corny way) about how water plays a role. The reverent and meditative writing style meshed well with the detailed studies and data proving each of his points.

And for a nonfiction, it’s an easy read because he has the proportion of personal reflection and serious analysis down. The topics that he discussed went on to shape the rest of my year. (On that note, it is all over the place. For me, that was a positive. If you prefer reads that have more clarity, maybe not for you.)

My First Exposure to 'Flow States'

He discusses flow states, which I loved learning about.

For those new to the concept, a flow state is your optimal state of performance. People define it differently, but it essentially describes your ideal amount of engagement in what you’re doing. You’re invested enough in this activity — making art, dancing, running — enough to lose track of time, gain pleasure from it, and have just enough of a challenge to want to keep going in it forever.

All my favorite activities are flow states. I don’t particularly watch television. I’ll drink when I’m with friends or have a glass of wine at home, but it’s not my go-to activity. My favorite activities are ones I can relax into, that still give me a taste of pursuit. Blue Mind satisfied me in finally giving a name to the feature my hobbies all share: flow.

The author even uncovers why certain pursuits like dancing and music get to us so precisely. It’s because synchronous activities cause our brain waves to sync up with those around us, and it’s a symmetry that our brains crave, so we get an extra little burst of satisfaction.

Last summer, I likely got so into dancing again because it’s both a flow state and a synchronous activity. Plus, it targets another favorite truth: that we love things that “blend” our senses. Dancing is so appealing to us because it makes an auditory sense (the music) a visual pleasure, causing two of our senses to make sense together. I love knowing about that now. Actually performing the movements myself also engaged all the physical aspects that made me so happy, like endorphins and relishing the progress of getting stronger. It is perfect. Discovering that flow state was a game changer.

Blue Mind did such a beautiful job discussing how flow states interacted with water. Swimming is a flow state. Surfing is too — a perfect combination of all of our favorite rushes. Being submerged in water soothes a lot of the alarm systems and imbalances we feel in our bodies at a given time, and can release happy chemicals that give you peace for a longer time than you’d expect.

2024 Update: I wrote this book review before moving to O'ahu, and so my opinions on swimming, surfing, and being in the water have only strengthened. I also read a fabulous meditation on swimming, Why We Swim, that I'll discuss soon.

It Discusses Sustainability.

It also talks about the economics of water, and delves into certain cultures’ relationships to the element. I was pleasantly surprised by the wide array of the topics that the author was able to cover, under the umbrella of one specific element. Throughout it all, Blue Mind instills in the reader the importance of caring for this resource, and sustainability initiatives that we can focus on to make sure that our ability to channel “blue mind” remains in the future.

It’s creative while still being firmly rooted in data, making it feel like a well-balanced and accurate read. I could go on about it for ages, but it’s one of the most successful nonfiction reads I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

2024 Update: Since originally reading this in 2020, I have realized that it's not the most scientific of the deep dives I've read, but I still think it's a relevant guiding force—that's actually shaped a lot of my journalism coverage. For example, I've written about bathing culture in Iceland and boutique hotels in Aruba embracing the "blue mind" philosophy.

I love books that use setting practically as another character ("place as character.") The ocean is alive, vibrant, an integral part of the narrative or protagonist’s life. That’s how I feel about all the places I’ve ever been — that I am a different self at the lake in Canada than the version I am in Brevard than I am in Lexington. While Blue Mind spoke more to the physical aspects of location than the emotional resonance — proximity to water, and what that sparks — it satisfied one element of that hunt.

Blue Mind is a favorite read of mine, and one that I could see appealing to a lot of readers. Whether you’re interested in sustainability, positive psychology, nature and travel writing, or simply want to pick up a book that’s a good nonfiction starter, Blue Mind is for you.

The full title makes it seem super self-help-y, but it’s more so an expansive and intensive view of the ways we interact with water, and how it benefits us. It doesn’t particularly follow the formula of a nonfiction read — it’s not clear so much as passionate — but I was perfectly fine with that. Some reviewers noted that it gets repetitive, and it does. You’ll know that being around water is good for you. But I enjoyed the entire book regardless.