MindCraft Challenge #11
Today, we learned that attention is limited and that those limitations affect conscious awareness. As we work on difficult tasks or face stressful situations, it is possible for the effective capacity of our attention to be depleted even further. However, there is good evidence that activities in nature, like birdwatching or nature walks, can restore depleted attention and increase well-being.
Challenge: Take a walk in nature (the Andrews University main campus is an arboretum with hiking paths accessible behind the wellness center and by the Pathfinder building) for more than 30 minutes every day for a week. Do you feel less depleted? Does your well-being or ability to focus improve?
Read More:
Cognitive benefits of natural environments
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x
Birdwatching and nature walks improve college student well-being
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102306
The average effect size of natural environment influence is very large
https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294119884063