{"id":106549,"date":"2023-06-24T09:52:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-24T13:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=106549"},"modified":"2023-06-29T11:19:49","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T15:19:49","slug":"blue-mind-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Blue Mind&#8221; Meaning: The Mental State That Water Creates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What does &#8220;Blue Mind&#8221; mean? How is it different from &#8220;Red Mind&#8221;? What contributes to these mental states?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you feel serene sitting at the beach, watching the waves, you\u2019re likely experiencing Blue Mind. In his book <em>Blue Mind<\/em>, Wallace J. Nichols argues that water has a profound impact on our well-being and health because it induces a calming, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/meditation-states\/\">meditative state<\/a>, which he calls the Blue Mind state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more to understand Blue Mind&#8217;s meaning and why such a phenomenon exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-we-re-naturally-drawn-to-water\">We\u2019re Naturally Drawn to Water<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we address Nichols&#8217;s explanation for Blue Mind&#8217;s meaning (as well as Red Mind&#8217;s meaning), let&#8217;s set the stage. According to Nichols, humans evolved to want to be near water because it\u2019s necessary for our survival. Throughout history, we\u2019ve naturally gravitated toward habitats that included water, such as lakes, rivers, and coasts. Water consumption is necessary for life, but there were other reasons humans as a whole were drawn to water, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts suggest that water sources\u2014along with open spaces with low grass and trees\u2014make up part of a \u201cuniversal landscape,\u201d or a natural environment that has all the resources necessary to ensure humans\u2019 survival. The accessible water source provides water for consumption as well as a source of marine food, the grass and trees offer food and room to attract and hunt prey, and the open spaces provide visual clearance to detect incoming predators. <strong>Forming communities near landscapes like this increased humans\u2019 chances of survival<\/strong>, resulting in an evolutionary connection between humans and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Some experts theorize that we not only evolved to want to be near water, but that water and the food it offered also caused us to evolve the way we did. They argue that the omega-3 fatty acids abundant in marine food <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/7342-hit-beach-humans-love-water.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nourished the human brain<\/a> and allowed it to grow larger and more advanced than it ever had when we dwelt in forests and less water-centric landscapes. This suggests that water didn\u2019t just help us survive\u2014it helped us develop the large, complex brains that now distinguish us from other animals.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-meaning-of-blue-mind-and-red-mind\">The Meaning of \u201cBlue Mind\u201d and \u201cRed Mind\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nichols uses the term \u201cBlue Mind\u201d to describe water\u2019s impact on the brain. Blue Mind is a calm, peaceful, contented state similar to one achieved through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/eckhart-tolle-meditation-mindfulness\/\">meditation<\/a>, and it can be induced by proximity to water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He distinguishes Blue Mind from \u201cRed Mind,\u201d which is a mental state characterized by stress and arousal, and he presents <strong>the Blue Mind state as a potent antidote to the detrimental effects of the Red Mind state.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/stress-response-in-the-body\/\">The stress response<\/a>, also known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-the-fight-or-flight-response\/\">the fight or flight response<\/a>, is an important evolutionary feature that developed to help us deal with danger. It enabled us to defend ourselves from threats or remove ourselves from threatening situations by flooding our bodies with stress hormones like norepinephrine, glucocorticoids, and cortisol. These hormones enhance our senses and awareness so we can better cope with danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Nichols may use the terms \u201cBlue Mind\u201d and \u201cRed Mind\u201d to describe states of calm and stress because these states are indeed so different as to be akin to using two different minds. The changes that <em>chronic<\/em> stress in particular brings about in the brain lead you to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/why-zebras-dont-get-ulcers\/1-page-summary#the-all-encompassing-effects-of-chronic-stress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">function very differently than you do when you\u2019re not stressed<\/a>. When you\u2019re chronically stressed, the stress response that Nichols describes never shuts off, resulting in mood problems like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/why-zebras-dont-get-ulcers\/1-page-summary#stress-anxiety-and-depression\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">depression and anxiety<\/a>, as well as digestive issues and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/lack-of-sexual-desire\/\">decreased libido<\/a> and fertility. Again, the stress response isn\u2019t inherently bad, but it is key that you be able to switch out of it into a Blue Mind state to avoid the negative side-effects of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/long-term-stress\/\">chronic stress<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Exercise: How Do You Experience \u201cBlue Mind\u201d?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflect on your experience with the Blue Mind state and the ways you interact with water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Identify a water-based activity that you enjoy. This could be a sport like swimming or surfing, or something as simple as showering.<\/li><li>Describe how this activity makes you feel. Does water help you relieve stress? How?<\/li><li>Does water have a pleasant sensory impact? Describe this impact. Perhaps you enjoy the play of light on the water or the feeling of weightlessness when swimming.<\/li><li>Consider how you could further incorporate water\u2019s benefits into your life, and list them. You could take up a water-based hobby, listen to recordings of water sounds, or get involved in environmental activism to protect water sources.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does &#8220;Blue Mind&#8221; mean? How is it different from &#8220;Red Mind&#8221;? What contributes to these mental states? When you feel serene sitting at the beach, watching the waves, you\u2019re likely experiencing Blue Mind. In his book Blue Mind, Wallace J. Nichols argues that water has a profound impact on our well-being and health because it induces a calming, meditative state, which he calls the Blue Mind state. Read more to understand Blue Mind&#8217;s meaning and why such a phenomenon exists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":8354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,9,160],"tags":[1080],"class_list":["post-106549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-psychology","category-science","tag-blue-mind","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Blue Mind&quot; Meaning: The Mental State That Water Creates - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you feel serene watching ocean waves, you\u2019re experiencing Blue Mind. Learn this phenomenon&#039;s meaning and how it differs from Red Mind.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;Blue Mind&quot; Meaning: The Mental State That Water Creates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When you feel serene watching ocean waves, you\u2019re experiencing Blue Mind. Learn this phenomenon&#039;s meaning and how it differs from Red Mind.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-24T13:52:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-29T15:19:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/clif-breath-air-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1703\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"&#8220;Blue Mind&#8221; Meaning: The Mental State That Water Creates\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-24T13:52:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-29T15:19:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/\"},\"wordCount\":764,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/clif-breath-air-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Blue Mind\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health\",\"Psychology\",\"Science\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/\",\"name\":\"\\\"Blue Mind\\\" Meaning: The Mental State That Water Creates - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/clif-breath-air-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-24T13:52:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-29T15:19:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"When you feel serene watching ocean waves, you\u2019re experiencing Blue Mind. Learn this phenomenon's meaning and how it differs from Red Mind.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/clif-breath-air-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/clif-breath-air-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1703},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"&#8220;Blue Mind&#8221; Meaning: The Mental State That Water Creates\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"Blue Mind\" Meaning: The Mental State That Water Creates - Shortform Books","description":"When you feel serene watching ocean waves, you\u2019re experiencing Blue Mind. Learn this phenomenon's meaning and how it differs from Red Mind.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"Blue Mind\" Meaning: The Mental State That Water Creates","og_description":"When you feel serene watching ocean waves, you\u2019re experiencing Blue Mind. Learn this phenomenon's meaning and how it differs from Red Mind.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2023-06-24T13:52:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-06-29T15:19:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1703,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/clif-breath-air-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"&#8220;Blue Mind&#8221; Meaning: The Mental State That Water Creates","datePublished":"2023-06-24T13:52:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-29T15:19:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/"},"wordCount":764,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/clif-breath-air-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Blue Mind"],"articleSection":["Health","Psychology","Science"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/","name":"\"Blue Mind\" Meaning: The Mental State That Water Creates - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/clif-breath-air-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2023-06-24T13:52:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-29T15:19:49+00:00","description":"When you feel serene watching ocean waves, you\u2019re experiencing Blue Mind. Learn this phenomenon's meaning and how it differs from Red Mind.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/clif-breath-air-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/clif-breath-air-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1703},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/blue-mind-meaning\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"&#8220;Blue Mind&#8221; Meaning: The Mental State That Water Creates"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/clif-breath-air-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106549"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106601,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106549\/revisions\/106601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}