A new study found that taking a brief 15-minute walk outside provides more cognitive benefits compared to walking indoors.
Specifically, the research showed that a short outdoor walk boosted attention, while an indoor walk did not.
This highlights the importance of getting outside, even for quick exercise.
Key Facts:
- Walking outside for 15 minutes improved attention and reaction time more than walking inside.
- Being in nature while exercising provided greater benefits to brain function compared to indoor exercise alone.
- Outdoor exercise increased activity in brain regions involved in attention, suggesting a mechanism for the cognitive boost.
- With busy, increasingly indoor lifestyles, getting outside even briefly when exercising may optimize brain health.
Source: Scientific Reports (20 Jan 2023)
Researching walks indoors vs. outdoors
The study, published in Scientific Reports, had participants complete a common test of attention called the “oddball task” before and after 15-minute walks inside and outside.
The oddball task involves clicking a button when occasional rare targets appear among frequent non-targets on a computer screen.
This measures selective attention and reaction time.
At the same time, electrodes on participants’ scalps recorded brainwave activity.
After the outdoor walk, participants performed better on the task – reaction times improved and brain responses related to attention increased.
The indoor walk did not provide the same benefits.
This shows that even brief outdoor exercise boosts attention more than indoor activity.
Nature exposure while moving likely contributed to the cognitive gains.
How Nature & Exercise Benefit The Brain
Past studies consistently show that exercise improves brain health and function.
Activities like walking, jogging, or cycling can boost cognition for hours afterwards.
Exercise increases blood flow, oxygen, and nutrients to the brain.
It also stimulates the release of neurotransmitters and growth factors that support brain plasticity.
This leads to structural and functional brain changes over time.
Spending time in natural environments also has measurable positive impacts on the brain.
Views of nature, plants, and green spaces have been linked with enhanced attention, memory, mood, and reduced stress and mental fatigue.
Researchers think nature provides a respite for the brain’s attentional systems.
Natural settings engage effortless attention, which allows restoration of capacities like directing focus, ignoring distractions, and multitasking.
Urban environments require more effortful attention control.
The current study uniquely combined brief outdoor exercise and nature exposure.
The findings suggest that together, these factors have an interactive effect that enhances cognition more than either alone.
Even a short walk outside likely helps restore mental resources.
Brain Imaging Reveals the Neural Effects
The researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) to clarify the brain activity underlying the performance improvements with outdoor exercise.
EEG electrodes on the scalp measure electrical signals generated by neuron activity.
Event-related potentials (ERPs) reflect brain responses to specific events, like those on a computer task.
The P300 is an ERP component linked with attention and working memory.
After the outdoor walk, P300 amplitude significantly increased when participants did the oddball task.
This shows enhanced attentional brain processing.
The indoor walk did not increase the P300.
Previous neuroimaging research also points to increased activity in attention-related brain networks after exercise in nature compared to urban settings.
Walking outdoors may optimize activation in prefrontal regions that control executive functions.
Implications for Health
Limited time for exercise and increased time indoors pose health challenges today.
This study emphasizes the importance of outdoor activity for brain function, even for short durations.
Going outside for quick walks throughout the day may help maximize cognitive benefits.
Workers could boost attention by walking outside during lunch breaks, for example.
Students may retain more information during outdoor study breaks.
For longer exercise sessions like runs, training outside instead of using indoor gyms and treadmills can also optimize mental gains.
Exercising while immersed in nature provides greater rewards for both brain and body.
Over time, boosting brain function with regular outdoor exercise could help reduce risks for cognitive decline and neurological disorders.
Optimizing cognition earlier in life through lifestyle habits may promote lifelong brain health.
In addition to cognitively engaging activities and social interaction, getting outside should be part of recommendations for maintaining brain plasticity with aging.
Along with nutrition, sleep, stress management and mental stimulation, outdoor exercise is emerging as a key factor for the brain’s lifelong functional and structural adaptation.
Main takeaways from this research…
- Brief outdoor exercise provides more attentional benefits than indoor activity, likely due to natural environments.
- Nature exposure during exercise may help restore mental capacities like focus, attention control, and working memory.
- Outdoor walks, runs, and workouts should supplement indoor fitness routines whenever possible to maximize cognitive gains.
- Together with other lifestyle factors, regular outdoor exercise may support long-term brain health and cognitive function across adulthood.
References
- Study: Exercising is good for the brain but exercising outside is potentially better
- Authors: Katherine Boere et al. (2023)
