AS THE northern hemisphere enters the summer season, I am spending more of my working day in my tiny London garden. It鈥檚 not just a way of coping with the rising temperatures 鈥� though it is undoubtedly more pleasant to sit in the fresh air than in a stuffy office. According to recent research, time spent outdoors can bring a brain boost.
One benefit comes from plant life. According to , plants provide an optimum level of visual stimulation to replenish concentration when we start to lose focus. This idea is grounded in our evolution: our brains are adapted to the environments we would have encountered in prehistory, and we therefore find them more restful and less tiring. In line with this idea, multiple studies have shown that natural scenes improves performance on cognitive tests requiring focused attention. Indeed, simply looking at seems to help restore concentration when our attention is waning. People who spend some of their working day in a natural environment reduced anxiety and greater job satisfaction too.
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Working outside will also increase our exposure to natural sunlight, which brings its own benefits. Sunlight famously stimulates the production of vitamin D, which appears to influence the production of proteins known as 鈥渘eurotrophic factors鈥� that are essential for the building of new brain circuits. Sunlight may also , a neurotransmitter directly involved in learning and memory. Laboratory mice that had been given a low dose of UV light 鈥� equivalent to moderate sunlight exposure 鈥� found it easier to differentiate between new and familiar objects.
If the same is true in humans, you might expect that
would result in better overall brain health, including reduced risk of neurodegeneration 鈥� and a few recent papers support the idea. Danish scientists found that are less likely to develop Parkinson鈥檚 disease, while a study from China reported that moderate exposure to outdoor sunlight 鈥� 1 to 2 hours a day 鈥� was associated with a .
This must, of course, come with caveats. Given the dangers of too much UV exposure, we must all take the necessary precautions to protect our skin. And having lived in a small flat for more than a decade, I am aware that it can be difficult for many city dwellers to find a quiet and clean outdoor space. But if you do have the chance to do so, taking your work outside or going for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon walk in the park may be an easy way to supercharge your thinking and make the most of your mind.
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