In Praise of Walking

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

By: Shane O'Mara

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Paperback | 23 July 2020

At a Glance

Paperback
224 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
1.5 x 12.8 x 19.6

Paperback

$29.99

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A captivating exploration of the science of a skill that is uniquely human: how we walk. And a hymn to its many benefits for our mental and physical health, and for our society.

'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.

SUNDAY INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE WEEK A GreatRead and ArgosyBooks BOOK OF THE MONTH

About the Author

Shane O’Mara is Professor of Experimental Brain Research (Personal Chair) at Trinity College Dublin. He is Principal Investigator in, formerly Director of (2009-2016) of, the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, one of Europe’s leading research centres for neuroscience. He is also a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator and a Science Foundation Ireland Principal Investigator.

He is the author of two books, Why Torture Doesn’t Work: The Neuroscience of Interrogation and A Brain for Business – A Brain for Life.

Industry Reviews

Fascinating ... O'Mara argues [walking] is intimately connected to our bodies, our brains, and ultimately how we exist as a species * The Times *
In Praise of Walking is both informative and persuasive enough to rouse the most ardent couch potato - perhaps saving humanity before our lifestyle consumes our brains completely -- Jonathon Keats * New Scientist *
Convincing and compelling ... In Praise of Walking is peppered with insights about everything from 19th-century poets and flaneurs to modern-day experiments with subjects playing video games in fMRI scanners * Sunday Times *
Walking makes us healthier, happier and brainier ... [O'Mara] knows this not only through personal experience, but from cold, hard data * Observer *
Full of insights... an accessible and thought-provoking discussion of walking as a key to human success -- Gina Rippon, author of The Gendered Brain * Gina Rippon, author of The Gendered Brain *
A book that will leave you itching to go out for a good old-fashioned stroll * Mail on Sunday *
A fascinating new book that examines the multitudinous benefits of this form of locomotion * Harper's Bazaar *
Like a poem to walking... [and] the science that might help convince planners to prioritise walking as a means of getting around -- Lucy Whetman * UK Press Syndication *

Forget apples. A walk a day really will keep the doctor away

* Evening Standard *
[In Praise of Walking] it provides an antidote to the many miseries that can accumulate because of our modern, sedentary lifestyle * Simple Things *

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