"A bit of unaccustomed reflection on one dimension of our experience suggests that the answer to that perennial child's question: If grown-ups know so much, why aren't they happy?--is increasingly bound up with the places in which we spend our lives. Many, of the eclectic researches that support this commonsensical idea are less discoveries than rediscoveries of principles that our forebears considered obvious. Throughout history, people of all cultures have assumed that environment influences behavior. Now modem science is confirming that our actions, thoughts, and feelings are indeed shaped not just by our genes and neurochemistry, history and relationships, but also by our surroundings." In "The Power of Place," a NY Times Notable Book, Winifred Gallagher explores how our surroundings shape our thoughts, emotions and actions.
