Those who enjoy the outdoors, camping, RVing, hiking, paddling, bird and wildlife watching, know that nature can have a positive effect on one’s attitude and feelings of well being. But now, a professor claims it is also good for your brain.
Henry David Thoreau knew the importance of nature, filling his books and notes with observations about human life and its basic need for nature. Those writings have probably never been more important than they are today. On average, Americans spend about 10 hours a day in front of a computer or other electronic device and less than 30 minutes a day outdoors.
That is a claim made by David Strayer, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah, who says that all this time spent with technology is making our brains tired.
Using an electronic device – answering emails, listening to the news, looking at Facebook – puts a lot of pressure on the prefrontal cortex, the front of the brain. This area, Strayer explains, is important for critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making.
So, it is important to give the brain a rest. And being in nature, Strayer claims, helps refresh a brain that is tired from too much technology. Read more in the Health & Lifestyle Report from VOA News.
##RVT856 ##RVDT1452
I guess this explains why I like starting my days sitting at our kitchen table (where the laptop resides) and alternating reading this newsletter with looking out the front and rear picture windows to daydream and observe nature. Today it’s got me monitoring the fall of leaves from one maple in front near a busy highway vs. one in the back yard. I’ve loved being able to be out in my yard all summer, but with the departure of these leaves and 23 degrees on the thermometer this morning, I know those days will be rare for a number of months now.