Nature May Be Key to Strengthening Our Attention

^{Gregory Bratman, co-director of Nature and Health is featured in this three-part series from Psychiatric News.}

Nature May Be Key to Strengthening Our Attention

Katie O’Connor · Psychiatric News · Volume 58, Number 12

There are various theories on why nature exposure improves cognitive function. Likely the most popular is attention restoration theory, which was developed by Rachel Kaplan, Ph.D., and Stephen Kaplan, Ph.D. It posits that exposure to natural environments may restore an individual’s ability to concentrate.

The theory suggests that a person’s direct attention is often taxed and depleted in overstimulating environments, which urban environments often are. Natural spaces, by contrast, engage what is referred to as soft fascination, which are aspects of the environment that capture attention effortlessly. To provide this restorative effect, however, the theory states that the natural environment must also allow the individual to feel immersed in the environment and provide an escape from habitual activities. Further, the individual must want to be in the natural space.

Gregory Bratman, Ph.D., noted that the posited effects from attention restoration theory can be measured through working memory or other cognitive tests. He and his colleagues conducted a study in which 60 individuals went for 50-minute walks in either a natural or urban environment. The participants completed a series of psychological assessments before and after the walks. Compared with those who went on the urban walk, the nature walk resulted in decreased anxiety, rumination, and increased working memory performance. The findings were published in 2015 in Landscape and Urban Planning.