He shoots out of the pocket just as the wave crest crashes behind him. Feel-good neurotransmitters - adrenaline, dopamine, endorphins - rise in waves inside his brain and body. He’s enclosed in a watery tunnel of cool, blue-green light, surrounded by the smell and the sound of the wave, feeling the air rushing past him as he makes minute physical adjustments to keep the ride going for as long as possible. Dopamine explodes in his brain as he drops into the pocket. The water rises up in front of him, and he’s instinctively standing on his board, using the brain that has been shaped by all the experiences of thousands of waves he’s ridden before to look for the perfect entry point. As he spots a smooth swell pattern that indicates a potentially rideable wave, anticipation releases another wave - of neurochemicals cascading throughout his brain and body. He’s relaxed yet alert, scanning the water for indications of the next wave. Surfer João De Macedo waits on his board, a hundred feet or so from the beach. David Poeppel, Professor of Psychology & Neural Science, New York University

We’re drawn to their mysteries and rhythms, and strive to find language to describe them. Chapter 2: Water and the Brain: Neuroscience and Blue Mind The brain and the ocean are deep, complex, and subtle realms that we struggle to see into and to see out from. Join us, read along or just listen. And please share your thoughts, insights and questions with fellow participants.Īll past episodes are archived on my Facebook page for later access. On Sundays we follow the readers' guide that can be found in the back of the paperback edition or online here.Įach chapter of my book Blue Mind is shared here for patrons, as a courtesy to those who don't have access to the book or a library. You can also just listen as we read every single word to you during book club. We haven't missed a live reading in eight years (that's over 560 episodes)!

Our 9th Annual Blue Mind Online Book Club will be held from January 9th, 2022 until March 20th, 2022 (the first day of spring).įor those who aren't familiar, we read the book Blue Mind together live nightly on my Facebook page at approximately 5:30 pm PT for ten weeks.

Dr wallace nichols blue mind