Want to kick the blues, feel more energized, and grow your brain in the process (yes, literally grow it): get outside and take a long walk. Regularly.
Over the course of 6-8 months, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development repeatedly scanned the brains of participants who regularly included time outdoors as part of their daily routine. What they found has serious implications for mental health.
Specific findings include:
- The more time one spends outdoors, the more positive his/her emotions and feelings of wellbeing
- No negative feelings were associated with time outdoors (this actually matters too)
- Brain size actually grew
What’s especially intriguing about the brain growth is where it took place: the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This is the region of the brain known for executive function thinking (e.g., memory, attention, decision making). But it’s also been shown that when this area of the brain is under-sized its owner is more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mental challenges.
In other words, getting outside is a win-win: we feel better and happier and our brain grows in all the right places.
The researchers concluded that the results of their study are “compatible with anecdotal evidence of the health and mood-promoting effects of going for a walk.”
They also suggested that so-called ‘green prescriptions’ (getting outside and into nature) will undoubtedly become part of future psychiatric approaches to sound mental health.
