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With every step on the path, fallen leaves crunch underfoot. The path follows a stream, flowing swiftly and babbling over smooth, gray stones, while the wind rustles the branches overhead. Now compare that pleasurable mental image to the one you will be walking through – traffic, crowds, concrete and glass. Which one sounds better to you?
Walking in nature promotes physical and mental health, reduces stress, and restores focus. But researchers are finding many benefits for mental health from walking even in urban areas.
You just have to find the right path and pay attention to your surroundings.
Don’t underestimate street trees
“Look at the color green,” said environmental psychology researcher Whitney Fleming. Bangor University In walesUK “Most cities have greenery. No matter where you are, you can find a nice tree.”
He said walking — which is considered moderate exercise — is good for you in general; It may reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, dementia, depression and many types of cancer. Walking in nature goes beyond the benefits of physical activity: “Humans have an innate, evolutionary tendency to like nature.”
Fleming’s research found that people who were asked to pay attention to plant life while walking were significantly less anxious afterward than people who were asked to focus on man-made elements. The first group also reported feeling more positive emotions.
“Having natural elements to look at in cities is really important in terms of these effects, because you can get benefits even if you’re not in a natural setting,” he said.
But vibrant plazas and buildings can provide their own ‘soft charm’
Other researchers have challenged the notion that cities are inherently stressful, said Cesar San Juan Guillen, a professor of social psychology at the University of the Basque Country. spain,
Until recently, he said, most environmental research was biased toward the built environment, comparing natural settings with stressful urban settings, such as traffic-heavy roads.
San Juan Guillén compared people who spent time in a green urban park to those who visited a busy plaza with a historic church, playground, and bars. Both showed improvements in cognitive performance and attention, and reduced negative emotions such as anxiety, hostility and fatigue, he said.
But in the more built-up plaza the group felt more energetic and less stressed.
For example, spending time in historic urban areas, walking through cemeteries and enjoying panoramic views, evokes “a kind of soft charm”, San Juan Guillen said.
“This type of involuntary attention may be more effective … (than) the type of attention we eliminate through work or study,” he said.
Find the ‘Kiss Taste’ Walk
Tristan said the fields of environmental psychology, neuroscience and architecture are building on each other’s research to better understand how people interact with the built environment. clevelandAn urban planning consultant with the Canadian firm Happy Cities.
“With blank walls, people walk past them really fast, as if they’re trying to run away,” said Cleveland, who earned his doctorate at Dalhousie University. Nova Scotia“And if they see a friend they’re less likely to stop and talk.”
When considering where to visit in cities, Cleveland suggests looking for places that will create a sense of soft charm. You’ll know, he said, if a destination or route passes the “first kiss test,” somewhere you can get someone on a date.
Annabel Abs-Streets, author of “The Walking Cure” and “52 Ways to Walk,” said she has experienced the feeling of joy in various places. He suggested looking for walkable cities like Boston; Taos, New Mexico; and Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Or simply find the historic cemetery closest to home – Abse-Streets is a fan of London’s “Magnificent Seven” Victorian cemeteries.
“It’s not that green is good and gray is terrible,” Abs-Streets said. “The truth is that green and brown are completely different. Sometimes the difference is good.”
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Albert Stumm writes about wellness, travel, and food. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com