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The 3-Day Effect

By: Florence Williams
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  • Summary

  • The 3-Day Effect is a look at the science behind why being in the wild for a minimum of three days can make us happier, healthier and more creative. Whether it's rafting down Utah's Green River, backpacking in Colorado wilderness or strolling through Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., scientists are finding that immersions in nature can reduce anxiety, enhance creativity and boost overall well-being.

    Join science journalist Florence Williams in an immersive audio exploration of the mind and outdoors in six chapters following former Iraqi war veterans, sex trafficking survivors, and even a bookish nature hater journeying to the wild. Meet the innovative field researchers working to strengthen the science for a nature cure through real-time physiological, psychological and cognitive measures over three days outside.

    When you add The 3-Day Effect to your library you will receive all 6 episodes, each with a runtime of approximately 25 minutes. To hear more great podcasts and short listens, visit Audible.com/AudioShows.

    ©2018 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC
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Episodes
  • Ep. 1: A Wild Antidote
    Sep 27 2018

    David Strayer, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Utah, noticed he gets his best ideas when he’s in the wilderness for three days, so he decided to study what he calls the Three Day Effect. Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix, takes him on a hike to learn more about what this research shows. She meets up with others who we’ll be following in this series, including veteran and activist Stacy Bare and writer Eric Weiner, who would much rather be darting in and out of cafes than river canyons. Florence, herself going through a divorce, signs on for a three-day research trip in the wilderness, hoping the emotional benefits will rub off.

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    21 mins
  • Ep. 2: Floating Through PTSD
    Sep 27 2018

    Can three days on a wild river help cure veterans with PTSD? In this chapter, Florence Williams alights on Utah's Green River with a group of veterans and the scientists who are studying their brains outside, including Stacy Bare from chapter one and researchers from the lab of David Strayer, cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Utah. Florence and the veterans talk about trauma and resilience while rafting, hiking and undergoing a series of experiments. They look at their brain waves over time and also test their cognitive performance.

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    28 mins
  • Ep. 3: A Place of Comfort
    Sep 27 2018
    What if a lot of what we’ve heard about wilderness therapy is wrong? That it shouldn’t be about finding oneself through hardship and challenge, but about finding a place of comfort instead? Florence goes backpacking in Colorado with an all-women’s group of sex-trafficking survivors through She Is Able, a nonprofit based in Atlanta, Georgia. The women and their guides, along with therapists who specialize in trauma and wilderness therapy, upend everything she thought she knew.
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    35 mins

What listeners say about The 3-Day Effect

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We need more of this

Really engaging series working with different groups / individuals who've all had trauma of some kind (PTSD/sex trafficking/depression) and measuring the impact that nature has on their mental wellbeing. Very accessible research with a simple yet profound message that we should all be following.

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29 people found this helpful

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I loved this

I really enjoyed this series and listened to them all in quick succession. Florence Williams takes us on a fascinating journey hearing how nature can positively impact upon people who need to rebalance or heal.

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27 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Nature is good for you

The premise of this podcast series is that it is good for you to spend time outside and if you spend three days outside then it is really good for you. Many people who either work in the open air or have been camping, already know this. And most other people will not be particularly surprised by this conclusion either. The series takes the form of a several groups of people eg ex-military who are feeling stressed and are taken to the Great Outdoors for a few days to go for walks and eat Pringles at the end of which the universal feedback is that they feel better about themselves and their lives. This is further proven by putting electrodes on them and making them wear helmets that monitor their brain activity and, yes, you've guessed it, the scientific evidence shows that their brain activity and their health has improved too. It gets a bit monotonous after the first couple of episodes and there is an inordinate amount of time spent re-capping on the previous show and previewing future shows which gets a bit irritating after a while. Even though it was free, I found this series to be annoying. Perhaps I should spend a bit more time outdoors.

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15 people found this helpful

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Inspired my morning commute by 30min walk.

This audio tape helped me to come out of my comfort zone to make my work commute an enjoyable one next to the riverside. A 30 min morning and eve walk helped me to refresh my brain. It helped our relationship, after an argument if we can't get to a conclusion we do for a walk. When we come back we are both different people, not angry or upset. The issue just dissolves by itself. This should be applied in schools as a mandatory subject, to be out in nature 1 hr every week at least.

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4 people found this helpful

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Great perspective!

Really eye opening and positive podcast. Would definitely recommend to anyone who has mental health issues or is unsure of themselves

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4 people found this helpful

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Struggled to finish. Wasn't what I was expecting

Struggled to finish as it wasn't what I expected. I thought this would be a spiritual awakening experience but sadly not.

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2 people found this helpful

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Really interesting, BUT..

Really badly edited; Florence is narrating but vefore she's done someone cuts over her so you lose the end of her speech and the start of theirs. And too much background noise. Frustrating because I'm really interested in this and it's making listening really difficult.

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1 person found this helpful

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disapointing

if hoped for hearing more about nature but the stories if the participants were distressing and the scientific side not very satisfying

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1 person found this helpful

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Evidence for nature's benefits

I got a lot out of this. I am now looking forward to getting into nature this spring so I can get some awe in my life! Worth a listen. Engaging.

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Fascinating

Being interested in mental health I found this fascinating. I almost felt like I was out in the wilderness with them. Please do another series.

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