Author Description

This volume offers a short and clear introduction to the relationships between the human mind or brain and the surrounding physical and social environments. From the varied perspectives of physiology, psychology, psychiatry, pathology, anthropology, and behavioral science, eight leading experts explain how we react to the world around us. The contributors explore the complex and fascinating relations between human behavior, our experience of the environment, the effects of our behavior on the environment, and the ways in which our environment affects us. Wide-ranging discussions include explorations of our perceptions of the physical and social environments; our evolved preferences for certain surroundings, colors, and landscapes; the vulnerability of the brain to external toxins, trauma, and infections; the effects of family breakdown and urban life on mental health; and the nature of emotions. This unique book provides an accessible look at a rapidly developing field of neuroscience.