Customer Reviews

The Power of Place

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In this book, Winifred Gallagher, discusses the various ways that environment can affect human behaviour. Written for the layman, the book does not dwell on the neuroscience data, preferring to interview both the researchers and the affected.

The biggest drawback of this book may also be it's most interesting aspect - the sheer quantity of the material Gallagher must condensed into 228 pages of text. Thus, in less than 100 pages, she discusses seasonal affective disorder, light deprivation, effects of temperature and altitude and geomagnetic phenomena. With this constraint, Gallagher's prose in necessarily tight, her interviews brief, and each chapter ends before you've had your fill of the effect she's discussing.

A good book for plane-hopping business sorts - not only can it be read on the flight, the effects of time zone changes, sleep deprivation, and fluorescent lights can be recorded as they are taking place.

This is the right kind of book when you are looking for something different. To a large degree this is 'info-tainment' but it's certainly fascinating. Gallagher is a solid writer, she organizes her thoughts, there is nothing cryptic or suggestive of her writing beyond the facts she documents. Her research is absorbing, she doesn't pretend to know more than she does and her focus is on finding a balance between the science she gleans and her understanding.

From Alaska's difficult emotional/spiritual/physical climate, to the science beyond radiomagnetic energy, to thoughts on the womb, the environments of birth, development, why we love nature, the threat of city life to personal psyche, she covers a great deal of topic ground. Each section, let alone each chapters could have been a book unto itself which makes the reading somewhat cursory. On the whole, the book never falls into a slum, the reading is continually informative and well-written. Gallagher's journalism is intriguing. The best part of this book is that it not only gives you food for thought but makes you want to go out and investigate more, to read more on the subjects she has touched upon. (That's the sign of a solid, good book.)

I feel a book is more than just what is contained between its covers. Books about social studies like this make me take notice of the world around me in ways I may not have seen before. An increase in awareness is what I discovered while reading The Power of Place. I'm going to think more about Feng Shui in my life and moreover, what I need to do change some aspects of my life - I do need to get out into nature more.

Books like Gallagher's are rewarding in that they are pleasant to read, informative, well-researched and entertaining. This is a light read but it will keep you sharp. Truly, this is the book you read at the beach.

Environment is important, indoors and outdoors. Light exposure is crucial. Environment shapes character and behavior. Well-being is affected by settings.

Mood sickness may be traced back to normal expectations of the environment. Indoor life-styles result in light deprivation. Winter depression has been re-identified.

Cold is a stimulant and heat is a sedative. Moderatedly high altitudes-- mountains--seem peaceful. Some of the mountain magic is aesthetic. A sense-presence experience, (sensing that something or someone is present), is a normal response to a bizarre situation. More and more people are spending time in extreme environments.

Inner city children may suffer from chronic sense overload impeding their physical and academic progress. Urbanization is the most important environmental influence of the future. Most of America's poverty is urban. Pruitt-Igoe thwarted tenants' needs and opportunities for social networking and had to be blown-up.

Nature-loving varies with ethnicity and class. Nevertheless, even the Swiss weren't amazed by the Alps until the nineteenth century when nature's existence could be contrasted with industrialization.

This is a delightful book, causing much thought about issues we hardly ever notice and think about.

I have read this book a few times. I have noticed that I feel and think differently in different places. Personaltiy traits that have not come to the surface in one place come forth in another place. Good luck happens everywhere but how it happens often depends on place. Some amusing insights are included as well.

I found this book to be very informative and interesting reading. The author backs up most everything with scientific research, but also isn't afraid to speculate about things outside the realm of science (or not discovered yet).
I find it a particularly relevant for the US since many of the negative factors (noise, crowding) are on the rise - these aren't just aesthetic issues, as the book points out.

Winifred Gallagher is an insightful and inspiring writer. Her research into how our environment influences our behavior is on point and most useful. Highly recommended!

Although I had to read this book in an undergraduate course, I found it extremely interesting and I read it in two days. The information is useful for anyone looking for a new place to live. Overall a very good book although the many topic's are only briefly touched upon.

This is a re-issue of a book published in 1993. That's not made very clear in the sales blurb. So you'll be reading about light-therapy and float-tanks and other old news. Lots of generalities and stereotypes - e.g. taking the subways makes people feel stressed; spiritual feelings in the countryside or in the mountains. Lots of details about life in Alaska. Unless you're planning on living in Alaska, or on a mountain peak, there's nothing useful here. Nothing really about "place".

Extremely informative. I thought that the book was written a while back so with the moving, cutting edge science field maybe some of the information may not be up-to-date. However, I was wrong, this book is well written, extremely informative and very technical. Non-science readers may get dazzled with some of the terminology, nonetheless, there's nothing that Google or Wikipedia can't clearly explain. Good Stuff!

This book is a compendium of information regarding psychological responses to environmental stimuli. The book is divided into three sections: outside in, inside out, and synchrony. The first section discusses how our emotions are affected by external stimuli, such as light exposure, low oxygen, magnetic forces. In the second section, Gallagher delves deeper into the question of stimuli and environmental response, comparing the responses of fetuses and premature infants to their environments, and examining the physiological aspects of infant bonding and the connection between addictive behaviors and the contextual environment. In the last section, Gallagher presents some areas where psychological research on environmental stimuli might be used to help humans create or choose more environments that are better suited to promote health or happiness. At the end of the book is a short list of suggested readings for further information, organized by chapter.

I found the book quite interesting, although it wasn't at all what the title and cover suggested. This isn't a book about place--it's about stimuli and emotions. The book is written for general readers rather than academics. Thus, although Gallagher discusses numerous scientific studies, she does not interrupt the text with footnotes or endnotes. For those interested in learning more about how environmental stimuli affect our emotions, this book is a good, informative introduction to the field.