How Nature & Other Physical Environments Impact Your Focus, Cognition & Health | Dr. Marc Berman

My guest is ⁠Dr. Marc Berman, PhD⁠, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago whose research explores how different physical environments—particularly nature and patterns found in nature—can positively impact our ability to focus, our cognitive performance and our mental and physical health. We discuss how our physical environment influences our attention, stress levels and brain and heart health. He explains how even brief periods in nature and exposure to natural images and sounds can restore and improve attentional capacity, reduce mental fatigue and help combat rumination and depression. Whether you live in a city, suburb or rural area, this episode offers simple science-backed strategies for incorporating nature and natural elements into your daily life to positively transform your cognitive ability and mental and physical health.

Articles

• The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature (Psychological Science)
• Of cricket chirps and car horns: The effect of nature sounds on cognitive performance (Psychonomic Bulletin & Review)
• Understanding nature and its cognitive benefits (Current Directions in Psychological Science)
• The perception of naturalness correlates with low-level visual features of environmental scenes (PLoS ONE)
• Environmental Features Influence Walking Speed: The Effect of Urban Greenery (Land)
• Neighborhood street activity and greenspace usage uniquely contribute to predicting crime (npj Urban Sustainability)
• Children with attention deficits concentrate better after walk in the park (Journal of Attention Disorders)
• Interacting with nature improves cognition and affect for individuals with depression (Journal of Affective Disorders)
• Cognitive Control in Media Multitaskers (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
• Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators (Behavioural Brain Research)
• Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
• Accelerating dynamics of collective attention (Nature Communications)
• View through a window may influence recovery from surgery (Science)
• Neighborhood greenspace and health in a large urban center (Scientific Reports)
• Psychological responses to natural patterns in architecture (Journal of Environmental Psychology)
• A thought in the park: The influence of naturalness and low-level visual features on expressed thoughts (Cognition)

Books

• Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
• Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds

Other Resources

• Freedom
• Nature Sacred

Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned

• How Hormones & Status Shape Our Values & Decisions | Dr. Michael Platt
• Dr. Jonathan Haidt: How Smartphones & Social Media Impact Mental Health & the Realistic Solutions
• What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health

People Mentioned

• Stephen Kaplan: professor of psychology, University of Michigan, known for attention restoration theory
• Benoit Mandelbrot: mathematician, known as the father of fractals
• Matthew Walker: professor of neuroscience and psychology, University of California, Berkeley
• Cal Newport: professor of computer science, Georgetown University
• David Goggins: American motivational speaker, author, ultra-marathoner