Louise White
Have you ever noticed how you feel better when you are in a tranquil setting?
The beach, the green fields, the woods, the mountains…….
Whichever is your favourite there is now research to explain why. It shows taking in the calm views of nature actually makes the brain work better…..
I have recently moved from Southern Spain living just down the road from the beach, to central England, with it’s busy roads and grey views. OK there is some wonderful green countryside here but I have to drive to get to it!
I notice that at times I feel more rushed and less calm inside, I have to stop myself to find my inner peace.
This research was published this September in the journal NeuroImage:
Research Scientists at the University of Sheffield used images of the beach and images of motorway scenes to study the effects on the brain. The same sound was played behind all images, a constant low level roar, which could be associated with the traffic or the waves.
Brain scanning which measures brain activity showed that when the subjects were looking at the motorway scenes, connections in the brain became disrupted, whereas when they were looking at the tranquil beach scenes, the brain made connections so that different areas were working more in sync. It follows that when more of your brain is working together things run more smoothly, and you feel calmer, whereas when brain activity is disrupted by non-tranquil scenes then you feel less at ease and everything seems to be harder work!
What does this mean?
Studies like these may be used at some point in the future to help change the design of our cities and create more tranquil scenes. Or maybe we should just make the effort to go outdoors, go for a walk, take in the countryside and feel the calmness. A morning walk away from the busy roads can really set you up well for the day and get your brain on the right track.
When we feel calmer on the inside, our whole body reacts positively. We smile more, we sleep better, and this benefits our whole being.
My message here is to find yourself more tranquil scenes to look at, daily if you can but at least weekly. Your brain and your body will thank you for it!
If you’ve not seen it already take a minute to look at Lucille’s 5 minute meditations, she too knows the benefits of adding a little bit of nature into your everyday busy life.
The beautiful tranquil beach scene is courtesy of esther on Flickr
Written by Louise White of which1works.com, because health and beauty is all about mindset.
