In Praise of Walking

In Praise of Walking

The new science of how we walk and why it’s good for us

Summary

'Informative and persuasive enough to rouse the most ardent couch pototo' New Scientist

Walking upright on two feet is a uniquely human skill. It defines us as a species.


It enabled us to walk out of Africa and to spread as far as Alaska and Australia. It freed our hands and freed our minds. We put one foot in front of the other without thinking - yet how many of us know how we do that, or appreciate the advantages it gives us? In this hymn to walking, neuroscientist Shane O'Mara invites us to marvel at the benefits it confers on our bodies and minds, and urges us to appreciate - and exercise - our miraculous ability.

'Will leave you itching to go out for a good old-fashioned stroll' Mail on Sunday

*A Sunday Independent
Book of the Week*

Reviews

  • Fascinating ... O’Mara argues [walking] is intimately connected to our bodies, our brains, and ultimately how we exist as a species
    The Times

About the author

Shane O'Mara

Shane O'Mara is Professor of Experimental Brain Research at Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin. He is Principal Investigator in, and was director of, the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, one of Europe's leading research centres for neuroscience, as well as being a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator and a Science Foundation Ireland Principal Investigator. He is the author of Why Torture Doesn't Work, A Brain for Business and In Praise of Walking.

His musings on neuroscience, psychology and life can be found at the substack Brain Pizza.
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