The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting With Nature

TLDR

Attention restoration theory (ART) explains how natural environments, with modest bottom‑up stimuli, replenish directed attention, whereas urban settings with intense stimulation demand directed attention and are less restorative. We compare the restorative effects on cognitive functioning of interactions with natural versus urban environments. Two experiments—walking in nature and viewing nature pictures—were conducted to assess directed‑attention performance using a backwards digit‑span task and the Attention Network Task. Both experiments showed that nature interactions improved directed‑attention abilities, supporting ART.

Abstract

We compare the restorative effects on cognitive functioning of interactions with natural versus urban environments. Attention restoration theory (ART) provides 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 additionally 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 restoration theory.