sense of place and well-being

You literally are what you eat. The atoms of which you are made originated in food you ate or that your mother ate before you were born. Maintenance of your health depends on you continually taking in compounds your body needs (nutrients) and not taking in compounds that damage you. If I said “Your physical and mental health are influenced by what you physically take into your body by ingestion, breathing or absorbing through your skin,” you might say “stop being such a scientist… just say ‘you are what you eat.’”

Is there an analogy to your sense of place?

In addition to physical compounds you take in, your physical and mental health are in a complex web of multiple dependencies with what you see, hear and smell in your home, work, and community life and how you react to those sights, sounds and smells.

If you intentionally go out to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of your place – whether from natural, cultural, historical, or other features -- your overall health will benefit. Like eating good food, taking in the sights, sounds and smells is good for you. And working toward maintaining or improving those features is even better for you