A 90-minute walk through nature would positively impact the brain, researchers have shown. A new good reason to go green !
Do you know Vitamin G ? No ? Yet every day you have access to it for free. This is the name found by scientists for the benefits of contact with nature: "G for green". In recent years, a growing number of researchers have been interested in the impact of nature on our health, and several studies have already shown how contact with nature improves our physical health. One of the best-known studies revealed that convalescents in a hospital with a park view room were recovering much faster than others. Other research has since established many other positive impacts of nature on our physical health: lowering respiratory problems of course, but also blood pressure and cortisol, the stress hormone, or improvement of the immunity. After two days of walking in the forest, the effects would be visible for a month. What to stay away from germs for the return !
More concentrated children
Over the course of studies, the impact of nature and green spaces on our mental health and emotions is also confirmed, validating the intuitions and common sense that advocate taking the air to "change the ideas", this which could make us more attentive and efficient in return. Spanish scientists have recently shown the positive impact of green spaces on the memory and attention of children. The cognitive development of more than 2,500 children aged between 6 and 10 years was observed in Barcelona, taking into account their exposure to green spaces (in or near their homes). The result is a slight increase in working memory and schoolchildren 'regular contact with nature.
Previous studies have also highlighted the benefit of green spaces for children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder): a 20 minute walk in a park improves the concentration of these children - with effects comparable to drugs - unlike a walk in the city. Similarly, playing regularly in green environments (grass, trees ...) would cause less severe disorders for these children compared to those playing indoors or in concrete environments. And to the key a better concentration and a control of the pulses.
More productive and creative
Profits that could be of interest to companies. The University of Melbourne in Australia has just shown that simply contemplating nature increases concentration and therefore productivity at work! After viewing 150 students with images of the natural environment (versus urban images), the scientists noticed a significant increase in the performance of the students who benefited from green breaks, if only for a few seconds. Simple, free and effective. Previous studies have also shown that the presence of plants in the office is significantly correlated with productivity and reduced work stoppages or that having a window overlooking the greenery reduces employee stress.
In addition to productivity or reducing stress, contact with nature would also awaken our creativity. So much so that an immersion in the wilderness for four days could increase by 50% this according to psychologists from the University of Kansas in the United States, who conducted the experiment with thirty invited volunteers for the occasion to a hike in the big American parks.
Prevent depression
Finally, most recently, the anti-depressive effects of contact with nature have been seriously studied, notably by Stanford University in the United States. It turns out that walks in nature are good for our brains, make us more positive and less prone to ruminations, an important risk factor for depression, thus preserving our mental health. The result is visible from the first 90 minute walk. About twenty volunteers went for a walk in the countryside while another group was walking, for the same amount of time, in an urban environment.
Mood questionnaires before and after the walk were distributed to participants as well as brain scans. The result: a slight but significant improvement in mental health indicators after only 90 minutes of walking in nature, fewer ruminations and less brain activity in the brain area related to these negative thoughts. These first observable results on the brain validate what the traditional wisdoms have been advocating for a long time: to be in contact with nature and to contemplate it is the best passport against moroseness !
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