For this week's post, I thought I'd share some of the beautiful nature that we enjoyed this week due to the sunny weather, as well as a Huffington Post article about nature's effects on our brain.
Enjoy!
Currently a post-doctoral fellow at Baycrest's Rotman Research
Institute in Toronto, Dr. Marc Berman is producing groundbreaking
research on how spending time in nature affects the human brain. Here,
he tells Docs Talk about his findings.
DT: Did you discover anything that particularly surprised you?
Dr. Berman: One of the more surprising findings was that effects on
memory were not driven by changes in mood. We had people walk at
different times of the year; some walked in June when it was nice
outside and others walked in January, when it was cold. The winter
walkers didn't enjoy the walk as much as the summer walkers, but they
still received the same memory benefits. So we may not even need to
enjoy the walk to receive the benefits.
DT: What is it about the natural environment that has such profound effects on cognitive abilities like short-term memory?
Dr. Berman: We believe that having "softly fascinating" stimulation to
look at (such as trees, leaves and water), while not having to
concentrate heavily allows a person to de-focus and self-reflect in a
natural environment. Sitting in a dark room isn't restorative because
it's boring, which is fatiguing even though it doesn't require heavy
concentration. Watching television isn't restorative either, because the
stimulation is harsh and requires concentration. Other environments,
such as museums, could be restorative as well, but we find that the
natural environment is one of the most effective at restoring cognitive
abilities.
DT: What are the implications of your findings?
Dr. Berman: We have a long way to go, but there are a lot of potential
implications. First, our results and those of other researchers suggest a
mental/psychological benefit of interacting with nature, which is not
typically discussed. Nature seems to have a three-pronged benefit:
ecological, physical and psychological. Second, we and others have found
that the benefits of nature extend to children with
ADHD, older
adults, people recovering from surgery and individuals diagnosed with
breast cancer. This suggests that a single intervention can improve
human health and wellbeing across the board. Our findings could impact
how we design cities, schools, workplaces and hospitals, and how we
treat many different kinds of illnesses.
we are so fortunate to be going to school in such a beautiful spot!
Until Next Time,
Michele
