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

In Praise of Walking

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. 
 
 'Will leave you itching to go out for a good old-fashioned stroll' Mail on Sunday 
 
 *A Sunday Independent Book of the Week*

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

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

Convincing and compelling ... In Praise of Walking is peppered with insights about everything from 19th-century poets and flâneurs to modern-day experiments with subjects playing video games in fMRI scanners

Walking makes us healthier, happier and brainier ... [O'Mara] knows this not only through personal experience, but from cold, hard data

Full of insights… an accessible and thought-provoking discussion of walking as a key to human success

Gina Rippon, author of The Gendered Brain

A book that will leave you itching to go out for a good old-fashioned stroll

A fascinating new book that examines the multitudinous benefits of this form of locomotion

Like a poem to walking… [and] the science that might help convince planners to prioritise walking as a means of getting around

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

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

Whether you’re an avid hiker or simply like to get out and do the school run on foot, this book will make you appreciate the physical, mental and societal benefits of getting outdoors on two feet.

An informative yet witty book on the importance of walking for our health and wellbeing, and for societies in general

Compelling… A new angle on our favourite pastime

A fascinating read… This informative book…will rouse you from the sofa and make you want to get moving

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. He is also a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator and a Science Foundation Ireland Principal Investigator. 
 
He is the author of two previous books, Why Torture Doesn’t Work: The Neuroscience of Interrogation and A Brain for Business – A Brain for Life. He has also written many scientific papers, as well as for the newspapers and magazines. 
 
He loves to walk wherever and whenever he can, with long urban walks in any walkable city a particular favourite. 
 
@smomara1 
 
www.shaneomara.com

'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 
 
AGreatRead and ArgosyBooks BOOK OF THE MONTH

Shane O'Mara

Delightfully well-written, accessible, surprisingly reflecting ... and humorous

In this time of digital disconnection, Talking Heads is a reminder of the enduring power of face-to-face interactions and conversations. It is a thoughtful book that might make you watch what you say

Talking Heads ... is mostly interested in big-picture questions: how intact memory supports our sociality and binds us into collective beings who share collective memories. ... The point O'Mara is most keen to make in his book is that entities such as nations 'begin as conversations'... O'Mara is an entertaining guide, full of good stories

O'Mara delves deeply into the ways we use conversations to create our cultures and build entire nations ... There's a lot in it that resonates

Fascinating &hellip; The author&rsquo;s lucid exploration of how we communicate stretches from neurons to nations [and] strikes an informed, accessible tone ... Talking Heads is seasoned with intriguing facts

An invaluable perspective. Talking Heads is a fascinating account of a highly complex field, and Shane O'Mara does a grand job of explaining it clearly

O'Mara is particularly good in expanding his theme from the minutely personal to the global ... [This is] a book that's accessible to all as well as a fascinating read

This is a very important book because it drills down into how we shape realities through conversation and dialogue, including identity, filtering down into bedrock convictions that can result in wars

The Quad - Oxford University Alumni Review

PRAISE FOR IN PRAISE OF WALKING 
 
Informative and persuasive enough to rouse the most ardent couch potato - perhaps saving humanity before our lifestyle consumes our brains completely

Convincing and compelling ... In Praise of Walking is peppered with insights

Informative and persuasive enough to rouse the most ardent couch potato - perhaps saving humanity before our lifestyle consumes our brains completely

How Conversation Shapes Us

From neurons to nations, Talking Heads is a stunning survey of the science of human connection and communication. 
 
'Delightfully well-written' IRISH TIMES 
'Intriguing ... Makes for an enjoyable read' NEW SCIENTIST 
'Full of good stories' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT 
 
Talking to each other is a primal behaviour. It&rsquo;s a key part of what makes us human. Yet the science of human connection has largely remained a mystery. Only recently have scientific advances allowed us to peer into the purpose of conversations and uncover their extraordinary impact. 
 
In this groundbreaking book, the first of its kind written by a leading neuroscientist, Professor Shane O&rsquo;Mara expertly reveals how talking affects all our lives. What does it mean that we mostly think, and speak, in five-minute bubbles around the present moment? Is the fact that we instinctively trust what others say empowering or a hindrance? And how do our very nations begin as conversations? 
 
Moving from the personal to the social and ultimately towards an urgent and radical new perspective on the defining phenomenon of our times, populist nationalism, Talking Heads is the story of how conversation shapes us and constructs our worlds &ndash; and how, together, we can talk our way into a better tomorrow.

Shane O'Mara

Praise for Talking Heads

Delightfully well-written, accessible, surprisingly reflecting ... and humorous

Surprising... intriguing... enjoyable

In this time of digital disconnection, Talking Heads is a reminder of the enduring power of face-to-face interactions and conversations. It is a thoughtful book that might make you watch what you say

Delightfully well-written, accessible, surprisingly reflecting ... and humorous

Surprising... intriguing... enjoyable

In this time of digital disconnection, Talking Heads is a reminder of the enduring power of face-to-face interactions and conversations. It is a thoughtful book that might make you watch what you say

Delightfully well-written, accessible, surprisingly reflecting ... and humorous

Surprising... intriguing... enjoyable

In this time of digital disconnection, Talking Heads is a reminder of the enduring power of face-to-face interactions and conversations. It is a thoughtful book that might make you watch what you say

Books by Shane O'Mara

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