Walking your way to success

Taking a break is important and time spent outdoors is good for us. It gives us back energy. But is it as simple as just heading outside for a walk? Or should we consider where we’re going? Here are 4 things to consider before you next stretch your legs.

Fabulous fractals

Nature is full of fractals and seeing fractals is good for us. A fractal pattern is where the same shape is repeated at different scales. Picture the shape of a leaf, then imagine a tree with those shapes of leaves and then a forest. Lots and lots of fractals.  

Studies show that looking at fractals, in particular mid range fractals, has a soothing effect on the human nervous system. Which explains why we feel great after walking where fractals are - think mountain ranges, ocean waves and cloud formations.

‍Better performance

‍Walking in nature tops up our energy levels to help bring balance to our busy city lives. It also provides a relief from focused work and it helps us get better results when we get back to our desks.

Marc Berman, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, led a study that explored the effects of walking on academic performance. One group of participants walked through an arboretum for just under an hour and another group walked through busy city streets. Those who walked amongst the trees scored 20% higher on a memory test that those in the downtown walk.   

Meet your visual processor

Roughly a third of our brain’s neurons are dedicated to visual processing and a desire to explore and a desire to understand. This is where nature comes in as it satisfies both of these desires. Man made, infrastructure doesn’t do this and is very often one thing or the other: under-stimulating - think bland, concrete buildings or glass skyscrapers, or overwhelming - think busy downtown areas. So, where we choose to walk affects out brain.

Manage your attention

More than a century ago in 1890 psychologist William James wrote about the difference between voluntary attention and passive attention. Voluntary attention is what we use when we’re in urban areas with lots of right angles, hard surfaces and sudden movements. This kind of attention takes a lot of effort. Passive attention is what we use when we’re in nature with its softer sounds and flowing movements. It takes far less effort. 

Fast forward to today and the attention economy is huge. Where do we put our attention, for how long, and for what purpose?

Knowing about these different kinds of attention can help us manage our energy.

It can encourage us to think about how we spend our days and make sure they have a balance of voluntary and passive attention activities in them.

As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” 

So whilst choosing where you take a stroll might seem like a small thing it has a huge impact. Where you put one foot in front of another affects how your brain works, how you perform and your mood.