An old saying goes that a perfect walk includes “something to see, a place to defecate and a place to have a cup of tea”. While these things indeed make for a respectable walk, scientists have discovered that certain aspects of nature will turn a good walk into a great one in surprising ways.
In recent years, it has become apparent that interacting with , not only because it keeps our bodies physically fit, but also our brains. Last year, a long-term study of 2.3 million people in Wales found that the closer we live to nature, the less likely we are to have a mental health condition.
“If people interacted with nature every day, it would be a radical change,” says Michele Antonelli, a doctor at the Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale (local health authority) in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
It has been found that certain natural elements – especially flowers, landscapes and smells – can stimulate the brain more than others. Nature’s power to focus our attention and reduce our stress levels isn’t just about its pleasing aesthetics, it’s related to an idea known as attention restoration theory.
During the day, we turn our attention to a number of tasks—reading emails, writing reports, scheduling meetings. It’s what’s called “top-down attention”—our thoughts direct our actions.
“Nature is free and the best medicine”
But this attention is cognitively exhausting, so we can’t sustain it for long, and we quickly lose focus and self-control. Nature triggers what is called “light fascination.”
It contains stimuli that attract our attention and are less cognitively demanding – creating what is called “bottom-up attention”; this gives the brain a chance to recover, .
“If people realized how good nature can be for them, we wouldn’t have it anymore home networkete version as treatment, but as a preventive measure to prevent mental health problems from occurring. Nature is free and is . I truly believe this,” says Antonelli.
