Life is busy, and many of us are stretched so thin that we can’t seem to completely focus on anything. From the office to the classroom to the meeting, it’s just one activity after another. All of these things competing for our attention can lead many of us to drop the ball on important tasks. We sometimes turn to behaviors like smoking, eating, or chronic coffee addictions to revive any little spurt of attention.
Fortunately, a new study claims to have found a better solution. According to this research, taking a walk is beneficial to re-focusing our attention. Scientists conducted two different studies involving adults after a short walk in either a forest or a park. Participants walked by themselves while being asked to focus on their surroundings. Before and after the walk they were given the same test of attention to see how the activity had affected their ability to focus. The results pointed to the nature walk increasing attention overall.
It might not seem too surprising that spending time in nature gives many people a clearer mind. A sense of calm and focus is often listed as one of the most appealing factors to hikers and explorers all over the world. Taking a deep breath in the fresh air just sounds restorative. However, many people don’t think of walking outside when they are struggling to focus their attention on one more page of homework or completing tedious paperwork. This is great news to nature lovers everywhere, and hopefully to those who only get outside of the cubicle for coffee runs. Get outside and get moving- it might help more than you realize.
Written by Brittney Tooker