There are a rich number of examples of "restless youths" who went on to become celebrated iconoclasts, including John Muir and Frederick Law Olmsted.
That restlessness may have actually been an indicator of our modern-day ADHD.
In fact, science suggests that there is an "adventure gene." One mutation pops up in those with ADHD, a variant called 7R on the DRD4 gene that helps regulate how signals from dopamine are processed. People with 7R are more likely to take risks, travel, and try new things.
Why is this important to consider?
As kids are asked to sit still in classrooms and given more medications to help them do it, what is the fate of the next generation of adventurers? Adventure needs these kids just as much as these kids need adventure.
Kids learn best when they're outside, using all of their senses.
Listen in as author, Florence Williams, joins Lisa to share more about the connection between ADHD and adventure, as well as the significant individuals in our history who were thought to have ADHD.
Wednesday, 09 March 2016 12:11
ADHD: Fuel for Adventure
New research points to an "adventure" gene in those who have ADHD.
Additional Info
- Segment Number: 2
- Audio File: naturally_savvy/1610ns3b.mp3
- Featured Speaker: Florence Williams, Author
- Book Title: Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History
- Guest Website: Florence Williams
- Guest Twitter Account: @flowill
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Guest Bio:
Florence Williams is a contributing editor at Outside Magazine and a freelance writer for National Geographic, New York Times, New York Times Magazine, The New York Review of Books, Slate, and other publications.
A fellow at the Center for Humans and Nature and a visiting scholar at George Washington University, she is currently writing a book on nature and the brain. - Length (mins): 10
- Waiver Received: Yes
- Host: Andrea Donsky, RHN and Lisa Davis, MPH
Published in
Naturally Savvy
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