Spending time in nature might improve your performance on memory and attention task tests, according to a new study from the University of Michigan.

Psychologists Marc Berman, John Jonides, and Stephen Kaplan asked volunteers to take cognitive tests and then walk in either a park or an urban area of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Then the subjects took the tests again. Those who walked in nature did better than those who walked in the city. The same held true for another group of volunteers who were retested after looking at photographs of nature or city neighborhoods.

The authors, writing in the journal Psychological Science, believe that city environments require more interpretation compared to natural environments, which are experienced as restful.

Researchers at the University of Illinois have found that children with attention deficit disorder can reduce their symptoms by spending time in nature.

Labels: exercise, memory, green_time

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A study conducted by the University of Illinois found that a 20-minute walk in a park improved the focus of kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

"'From our previous research, we knew there might be a link between spending time in nature and reduced ADHD symptoms,' said researcher Faber Taylor. 'So to confirm that link we conducted a study in which we took children on walks in three different settings - one especially "green" and two less "green" - and kept everything about the walks as similar as possible.'"

The study found that, when all other elements of the walk were the same - time of day, amount of sleep, use of medication, even the person they were walking with - ADHD children's attention improved far more after walking in a park than after walking in either a downtown or a residential area. Source: PsychCentral

Learn how Stone Mountain School's rustic environment helps lessen ADD symptoms.

Labels: exercise, green_time, symtoms, walking

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Last week, researchers released a study stating that they had caused the human brain to grow new nerve cells, some that has been thought to be impossible. They did it by putting subjects on a three-month aerobic-workout regimen. Researchers also discovered indications that physical activity may stave off the beginnings of neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and ADHD.

"Armed with brain-scanning tools and a sophisticated understanding of biochemistry, Newsweek reports, researchers are realizing that the mental effects of exercise are far more profound and complex than they once thought."

Though researchers don't fully understand why exercise has the effects it does, they are learning that it affects more than mood or self-esteem. Read more online.

Labels: exercise, green_time, playtime

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