12/21/2025
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FmLccL9oT/
Check out this article about how connecting with nature just may be the perfect gift to yourself this holiday season. I know its a hectic time of year, but take sometime for yourself in nature.
Recent freezing temperatures may make you think about staying in and cozying up under some blankets. But research has shown that taking walks in nature – even in brisk weather – can improve memory and attention by 20%
University of Michigan psychology researchers Marc Berman, John Jonides and Stephen Kaplan found memory performance and attention spans improved by 20 percent after people spent an hour interacting with nature.
Kaplan and his wife, Rachel Kaplan, a researcher in psychology and the School of Natural Resources and Environment, argue that people are far more likely to be satisfied with their lives when their environment supports three basic needs: the ability to understand and explore; to feel they make a difference; and to feel competent and effective.
Berman decided to test that theory by sending study participants on walking routes around Ann Arbor. Participants walked on an urban route down main streets and also on a route in U-M’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, taking in nature. When participants walked in the Arboretum, they improved their short-term memory by 20 percent, but showed no improvements after walking down city streets.
“Interacting with nature can have similar effects as meditating,” Berman said. “People don’t have to enjoy the walk to get the benefits. We found the same benefits when it was 80 degrees and sunny over the summer as when the temperatures dropped to 25 degrees in January. The only difference was that participants enjoyed the walks more in the spring and summer than in the dead of winter.”
For more information, check out the full article at the link below
https://news.umich.edu/going-outsideeven-in-the-coldimproves-memory-attention/
