PositiveThe Wall Street JournalCognitive scientists have since explored the philosophers’ question in several related fields, including embodied, situated and distributed cognition—respectively, how thought is shaped by bodily experience, physical environments and social exchange. In her book The Extended Mind, science writer Annie Murphy Paul takes on each in turn ... fascinating, sure-footed and wide-ranging ... Working her way outward, Ms. Paul argues that the spaces around us expand our minds. Encountering nature can have salutary effects, whether it’s a walk in the woods or looking out an office window. Greenery reduces rumination and anxiety, increases attention and creativity, and lifts one’s mood and physical health, Ms. Paul notes ... Finally, Ms. Paul says, we can merge with other minds. First, by copying experts, or whoever has gone before, and learning from their wisdom and mistakes. Or by sharing one’s expertise: Teachers sometimes learn more than their students, because they are reviewing and organizing material ... I don’t mind the book’s study-heavy spans. Each finding adds something, and Ms. Paul strings them together coherently, while interspersing literature review with anecdotes.
