Since its inception on April 22, 1970, Earth Day has been a day recognizing the importance of preserving and protecting the environment. The very first Earth Day had 2 million participants and has since grown into a global event with over one billion people working to create change and awareness of our impact on the planet.
Beyond the fact that we need a healthy planet to live healthy lives, there are enormous brain benefits from spending time in natural environments. Here are four brain-healthy reasons to take some time to reconnect with nature today.
Resets the prefrontal cortex
Our prefrontal cortex is responsible for a lot of our complex cognitive functionality. It’s where we problem-solve, engage in decision-making, analyze and execute social behavior, and express our personality. Whenever we’re analyzing our thoughts while assessing situations and weighing our decisions against the various cause-and-effect outcomes, we’re using our prefrontal cortex.
The hustle and bustle of our modern life means we’re engaged in this process quite a bit. Driving in traffic, walking down busy sidewalks, multi-tasking components of our jobs with our personal lives. These are just a few of the things we do on a daily basis, and it’s difficult to shut these processes down quickly.
A study out of the University of Utah demonstrated that the more time individuals spend in nature, the calmer the theta brainwaves get, particularly in our prefrontal cortex. Theta waves are strongest during meditation, spiritual experiences, and internal focus and reflection. When theta waves are present in our prefrontal cortex, it boosts our working memory.
Further, theta waves are vital in learning and higher cognitive functionality. The more we’re able to lower our brainwaves to the theta state, the easier we’re able to learn, improve our memories, and tap into more creative solutions when contemplating difficult problems.
Changes how we process information
Our brain is constantly taking in information and stimuli as we move throughout the world. Because the brain is primarily a filtration device, many of the things we encounter may not make it to our conscious awareness, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t being processed.
We process information in two different modes. Top-down processing is largely an intellectual way to process our environment. It focuses on big picture data, filling in necessary gaps with our experience and knowledge. Bottom-up processing is when we notice the details first, frequently through our sensory inputs.
An example of top-down processing is when we’re watching the cars to cross the street instead of the people around us. Or we notice a billboard instead of the street sign. We take in the big items around us, piecing a picture of that environment from what we expect to see based on what we already know. Top-down processing taxes our executive functionality, and when we stay in that mode too long, our attention span and decision-making skills struggle.
When we go into nature, our brain shifts from top-down processing to bottom-up processing. We don’t notice the trees as much as we see the individual leaves in the breeze, or notice the swirls in the bark. We see branches and twigs, listen to the babble of a brook or the chatter of squirrels. We build the picture of nature from what we’re experiencing, giving our executive functions a much needed rest.
Top-down processing requires constant attention, alertness, and focus, where bottom-up processing is a more relaxed process. Studies continue to demonstrate that time in nature, or even looking at photos of natural environments, helps restore executive attention functionality by shifting how we process stimuli.
Lowers stress & anxiety
A 2010 study found that there are significant physiological effects to being in nature. Participants were sent into both forest and city spaces to walk for fifteen minutes. Researchers measured salivary cortisol, blood pressure, heart rate, as well as parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system responses in all participants both before and after walking in each area.
They found that cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate all increased after walking through city environments and decreased significantly after walking through the forests. In addition, sympathetic nervous system responses were inhibited by as much as 100%, while increasing parasympathetic response indicating rest and relaxation.
Further research with fMRI technology shows when individuals are shown city-scape photos, blood flow to their amygdala increases. This raises cortisol levels in our brain and elevates our sympathetic nervous system to engage in a fight or flight response. However, when these same individuals were shown photos of natural scenes, their anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insula because more active. These areas are associated with increased empathy, awareness of our own emotional and physiological responses, and altruism.
Improves overall health
A 2018 study showed that exposure to green space significantly improves multiple areas of physical health, such as cholesterol levels and sleep quality. Being outdoors helps reset our circadian rhythm as well as exposes us to more vitamin D. If we’re walking, we get the added health benefits from cardio exercise, as well.
Another study looked at how well nature can help boost our immune system and healing. Patients recovering from surgeries reported less pain and healed faster than patients who remained in a hospital room while they recovered. In 2015, an intense research effort found our immune system was strengthened by spending time in natural environments. This led to discovering a link between nature protecting against twenty-one different diseases spanning cardiovascular disease, respiratory disorders, mental health afflictions, and musculoskeletal problems.
Being outdoors exposes us to phytoncides, healthy bacteria such as mycobacterium vaccae, and negative air ions among other natural ingredients. Phytoncides have antibacterial and antifungal properties. When we breathe them in, our bodies respond by creating more white cells which work to fight infections on a cellular level. Mycobacterium vaccae prompts our brain cells to release more serotonin, a neurochemical important in happiness and well-being. And negative air ions help regulate our sleep cycle, improve concentration, elevate our mood, and oxygenate our tissues.
Conclusion
Spending time in nature may seem like something we don’t have time to do. However, being in natural environments has tremendous positive effects on our brain health, as well as our overall health. Whenever possible, make time to go into nature and enjoy the restorative effect it has on the brain.
