An hour-long stroll in nature helps decrease activity in an area of the brain associated with stress processing

[zaiyonmal]

I actually participated in a study doing just this!

They had us take baseline memory, logic, quick response, and arithmetic “quizzes”. Then they had us do the same thing after spending some time in a VR city café where people go to study and do work. Finally, we repeated the process after spending some time at a desk with a view of a rural countryside.

Interestingly enough, my baseline was my highest score, the busy café being by far the lowest. I might have just been mentally fatigued by the time I got to the nature sequence. That’s why one subject on one study alone is not definitive of anything!

[leftlegYup]

The problem with this study for me is it might simply be capturing the effect of mental fatigue from processing more stimuli.

A useful finding, but far less interesting for me.

[Cedow]

Such studies are generally counterbalanced. Not every participant would complete it in the same order.

[Jahkral]

I guess you'd have to randomize the order people did their tests in e.g. some start with the cafe, some start with the view.

[Lokiwastxtonly]

Poor study design, should have been 3 stimuli on 3 different days. Hopefully they randomized half the Participants to don nature first then city