"Softly Fascinating"

 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