Several chemicals released when grass gets cut stimulate the amygdala and the hippocampus, helping to reduce stress by lowering cortisol. That’s all because of the olfactory cortex–temporal lobe connection.

outside world but rather focused internally. It is who you are when untouched by stimuli. This is the place where memories, a collection of events and knowledge about yourself, are housed. It’s known to be the home of mind wandering, dreams, and daydreaming.

Ritual and routine are important, but the human brain also craves novelty and surprise to flourish.

I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. —JOSEPH CAMPBELL, WRITER AND PROFESSOR

aesthetics into your life and see how it changes your mood. The list is endless and the results are immediate.

One person’s cacophony is another person’s symphony. And your perception is your reality.

Nitric oxide enhances cell vitality and vascular flow, and may account for the relaxation effect in the body. Several small studies have shown that sound frequencies from things like tuning forks and even humming cause nitric oxide to be released in our cells.

This is your cerebrum. It consists of two brain hemispheres that are partially connected in the middle by the corpus callosum. It passes messages between the two halves so that they can communicate with each other. The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and the left side controls the right.

Things that create saliency induce the release of neurotransmitters, like dopamine and norepinephrine, activating your synapses and increasing synaptic plasticity. This regulates memory formation, Rick says. The stronger the salient experience, the stronger the synaptic plasticity, because at that moment, a number of cells are activated, releasing