In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive - Hardcover

by Leidy Klotz (Author)

An invitation to bridge our mental and physical worlds, this essential guide gives you the tools to understand how space influences mindset. From home to work and everywhere in between, learn how to put yourself in a better place

So many books address how to live a good life. This one is about where.

Immersing readers in locations from beach huts to modern office layouts, from the backyard where we once played to the college dorm where we forged lifelong bonds, behavioral scientist Leidy Klotz illuminates how our physical environment determines our habits, our relationships, and even who we are. And how consciously connecting with our physical spaces can increase our mental wellness and combat screen fatigue.

Readers also learn:

• How physical spaces build the very skills our screens erode
• Which easy design changes maximize social connection
• How to perform as well in neutral territory as we do on our "home turf"
• Why some office layouts invite conversation and others kill it
• How navigating a new place primes your brain for learning
• What physical spaces teach us about drawing emotional boundaries
• How physical places can keep memories alive
• And much more

Through practical wisdom and small shifts, Klotz demonstrates how to take back agency and re-design spaces so we can thrive.

Author Biography

Leidy Klotz is a behavioral scientist and engineering professor at the University of Virginia who studies how and why humans design. He has written for the Washington Post, Fast Company, Scientific American, and Harvard Business Review; has published his work in top journals like Nature and Science; and has been interviewed on Hidden Brain, Freakonomics, Mindscape, and The Atlantic's How to Build a Happy Life. Klotz has advised clients ranging from the Departments of Energy and Homeland Security to CapitalOne and Amazon.