What is remarkable is that research has found that there is no relationship between the pleasant feeling of relaxation we get outdoors and the spike in our attention spans. According to Berman: “People who took a bitterly cold nature walk through the snow in January and did not experience this as pleasant still saw an improvement in their concentration -afterwards.”
As for attention restoration and brain function, Berman explains that more research is needed. “Scientific proof can be used to shape environmental and urban planning and to influence the design of schools and offices. A lot of office buildings are just functional, but not built for how we function as people. Some don’t even have natural light.”
Kees Both, formerly an education and nature teacher, is doing doctoral research on the importance of a green environment to children’s development. He believes that the research results should get urban planners thinking. “There’s a good reason why companies often send staff out to the countryside for creative brainstorming sessions. In the past, many psychiatric hospitals were located in wooded areas. Years later, they relocated to the city—an unwise move, given the Kaplans’ theory. The scientific substantiation of attention restoration strengthens this position in the conflicting interests around space. Don’t build up cities without making space for green areas. It affects the human psyche.”
But Berman adds that our brains need stimulation and activity. It’s not good if the brain is constantly daydreaming. He does think cities are good. And not every experience with nature calms us or restores our attention. Just try taking a walk in the woods during a hurricane.
Still, Mayer believes all the research done on attention restoration demonstrates that we’re in the process of losing something important. “Nowadays, many people spend 90 percent of their time indoors. It’s hard to get young people away from the screen. They’re either racing cars or shooting people. My advice: Go outside!”
Jonathan Mass worked on this article after running seven miles through idyllic green pastures.
Photo: Jenny Downing via Flickr