Your Brain is Happy About Earth Day

It is amazing to realize that the first Earth Day was 40 years ago. It is fun however to remember that day when I worked on an Earth Day project with girlfriends in the small town in Minnesota where I grew up.  We painted the ecology symbol on the trash containers on Main Street as a reminder to not litter.

Now, forty years later I frequently write about how beneficial nature is for healthy brains. It is wonderful to have a day that focuses on ensuring we have healthy environments. It is critical that we start with the basics. The brain needs oxygen and water to function. We need to ensure these are pure, clean and provided for everyone.

We also need to ensure there are natural environments for brains to enjoy. As I have emphasized through brain facts all week, research demonstrates how valuable green spaces are to the brain.  Even short amounts of time in nature can provide restorative benefits.

A study conducted at the University of Michigan compared the difference between students who walked through an arboretum and others who walked through a busy downtown area of a city. The findings revealed that the students who had walked through the city had lower scores on tests of attention and working memory and were in a worse mood.

Also as I also continuously promote, it is critical that children have the opportunity to play and explore outdoors.  As adults we need to do all we can to ensure that children have opportunities to develop their brains in healthy, natural and safe environments.

For ideas on ways to enjoy the benefits all nature provides to keep your brain happy enjoy the activity ideas posted on the braininsights website each day this week!

Have fun--- Enjoy!