Latest news with #naturewalk
New York Times
5 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
A Surprising (and Easy) Way to Boost Your Attention Span
In 2008, 38 students at the University of Michigan set out on a walk. Half of them wound their way through the trees in Ann Arbor's Nichols Arboretum for 2.8 miles, while the other half navigated the same distance on the busy streets of downtown. A week later, the two groups swapped routes. Both times before they set out, the students took a test that challenged their attention and working memory, where they were given progressively longer sequences of numbers that they had to repeat back in reverse order. When they returned to campus, the students took the test again. Walking through town improved their performance slightly, but walking in nature boosted scores by nearly 20 percent. 'You didn't even need to like or enjoy the nature walk to get these cognitive benefits,' said Marc Berman, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, who conducted the study while he was a graduate student at Michigan. People who walked on a cold January day experienced just as much benefit as those who did the experiment in July. The effect that nature has on our minds has been studied many times before and since, and the research generally — though not always — finds that exposure to green spaces boosts our cognition and creativity, not to mention our mood. Many of us have experienced firsthand the natural world's ability to revitalize us — a moment of clarity after summiting a mountain, or renewed focus following a lunchtime stroll in the park. Scientists are trying to understand exactly why that happens. In his new book, 'Nature and the Mind,' Dr. Berman attributes the cognitive benefits of nature to 'attention restoration theory.' First proposed in the 1980s by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan (both of whom were psychology professors at the University of Michigan when Dr. Berman was a student there), the premise is that our ability to focus is a finite resource that gets easily used up, and being in nature is an effective way to replenish it. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Yahoo
Escape the stress with walk in nature with Move Tallahassee
We understand it has been crazy out there. Now there is a way to escape the stress by walking out in nature. Here are the details: When: 8:30 a.m. Saturday, June 28 Where: J.R. Alford Greenway at 2500 Pedrick Road. This walk is an approximate round trip 4-mile walk from the entrance of Alford Greenway to the Piney Z parking lot and back. You will have the option of turning around for a shorter walk at any point in time. Bring your positive attitude and look for a relaxing day away from all that stresses you. Reasons to join us include: 1) No stress – people come from all walks of life, and we just laugh and talk. 2) Move Tallahassee is a great way to exercise and meet cool people. 3) This is a beautiful mostly shaded walk-in nature. This is good for the soul. 4) We have great greenways and parks; including where we are trekking on Saturday. 5) We are leaving early to beat the heat. How: Directions to the Alford Greenway - traveling east on Mahan Drive (US 90) go approximately 2.9 miles past Capital Circle to the light at Pedrick Road. Take a right, you will go about 2.5 miles (through a red light and a roundabout) until Pedrick's dead end in the Alford Parking Lot. Description: Alford Arm Greenway is an 865-acre park at the end of Pedrick Road in east Tallahassee. This Move walk includes a cool connection over the CSX railroad tracks between Lafayette Heritage Trail Park and J.R. Alford Greenway. This is a beautiful huge wooden and steel bridge that blends with nature. This walkway cuts through the treetops provides incredible views of Lake Piney Z and surroundings. Here you can see bald eagles, gators and other wildlife on and around Lake Lafayette. We look forward to great weather and connecting with lots of our friends. We encourage walkers at all levels. To sign up for email notifications of future walks, go to and join the group. Grab a friend or family member, friends, people friendly 4-legged friends, or come solo, come out, walk and celebrate with us Are you in? Contact Gregg Patterson at greggbpatterson@ This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Escape the stress with an early walk with Move Tallahassee
