Just WALK it off…but WHERE?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Studies have shown higher rates of stress in the concrete jungle. Can a change of scenery help us out?
Enter Sonja Sudimac and Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Human Development.
They randomly assigned sixty-three volunteers an hour-long walk in either the forest or city. Their vital signs were monitored to track stress level changes. And the brain’s stress center, the amygdala, was scanned before and after.
Results? The volunteers reported feeling more mentally restored after walks in nature. And their brains agreed, showing lower amygdala activity than city walkers. But never fear! If you can’t get away from the city, urban walks didn’t INCREASE stress levels.
And there’s still Pokémon Go! Am I the only one still on it?
Reference: Sudimac, S., Sale, V., & Kühn, S. (2022, September 5). How nature nurtures: Amygdala activity decreases as the result of a one-hour walk in nature. Molecular Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01720-6