Nature Walks
equal OutdOOr
smarts
b
ehavior and health experts
at the university of michi-
gan have found that walking
outside in parks or in nature
helps improve attention span
and memory performance by
20 percent. the researchers,
who published their findings
in Psychological Science, be-
lieve the results may also be
relevant to people suffering
from mental fatigue.
“interacting with nature
can have similar effects as
meditating,” reports marc ber-
man, a psychology researcher
at the university. he adds,
“People don’t have to enjoy
the walk to get the benefits,”
although they do tend to find
spring and summer walks more
enjoyable.
study participants exhib-
ited increased levels of alert-
ness, satisfaction and mental
tranquility after spending just
one hour interacting with na-
ture. they reported that their
levels of stress had decreased
significantly and they felt more
in control of their mind. similar
benefits did not accrue from
urban walks.
Pr i n t e d o n re c y c l e d Pa P e r t o Pr o t e c t t h e en v i r o n m e n t
March 2010 15
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