DMCA
The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature (2008)
| Venue: | Psychol. Sci |
| Citations: | 83 - 3 self |
BibTeX
@ARTICLE{Berman08thecognitive,
author = {Marc G. Berman and John Jonides and Stephen Kaplan},
title = {The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature},
journal = {Psychol. Sci},
year = {2008},
pages = {1207--1212}
}
Share
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
OpenURL
Abstract
ABSTRACT—We compare the restorative effects on cognitive functioning of interactions with natural versus urban environments. Attention restoration theory (ART) pro-vides an analysis of the kinds of environments that lead to improvements in directed-attention abilities. Nature, which is filled with intriguing stimuli, modestly grabs attention in a bottom-up fashion, allowing top-down directed-attention abilities a chance to replenish. Unlike natural environments, urban environments are filled with stimulation that captures attention dramatically and ad-ditionally requires directed attention (e.g., to avoid being hit by a car), making them less restorative. We present two experiments that show that walking in nature or viewing pictures of nature can improve directed-attention abilities as measured with a backwards digit-span task and the Attention Network Task, thus validating attention resto-ration theory. Imagine a therapy that had no known side effects, was readily available, and could improve your cognitive functioning at zero cost. Such a therapy has been known to philosophers, writers, and laypeople alike: interacting with nature. Many have sus-pected that nature can promote improved cognitive functioning and overall well-being, and these effects have recently been documented. Attention restoration theory (ART; Kaplan, 1995, 2001) offers a novel approach to identifying and restoring a cognitive mechanism. ART is based on past research showing the sepa-ration of attention into two components: involuntary attention, where attention is captured by inherently intriguing or important stimuli, and voluntary or directed attention, where attention is directed by cognitive-control processes. This separation was proposed by James (1892), and subsequent research has vali-dated James ’ distinction between voluntary and involuntary
Keyphrases
cognitive benefit cognitive functioning attention restoration theory directed attention directed-attention ability attention network task subsequent research improved cognitive functioning backwards digit-span task overall well-being novel approach urban environment grab attention top-down directed-attention ability attention resto-ration theory intriguing stimulus cognitive mechanism restorative effect natural environment side effect natural versus urban environment past research laypeople alike bottom-up fashion important stimulus cognitive-control process james distinction involuntary attention
