Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Nature, Relaxation, Rocky Mountain National Park, Wellness
Here are just a few of the ways that nature impacts human life, according to recent studies. Elderly people tend to live longer if their homes are near parks or green spaces; college students score higher on cognitive tests if their dorm windows provide a natural view; and playing in outdoor lush environments reduces ADHD symptoms in children.
At the University of Michigan, scientists observed that spending time in nature helps people relax, which probably doesn’t come as a surprise. But they also noted something else, too: time spent communing with nature helps impove memory and attention span. Paying attention to the natural world-sitting outside listening to the birds, for example- is an involuntary brain activity according to marc Berman, lead author of a paper on the research. That’s why we don’t get tired looking at trees or flowers. Our brains work differently in a relaxed state, and time spent in that state pays off later.
