Science & Technology - Posted by Lauren Anderson-Sheffield on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 11:51 - 6 Comments 
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(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Nature’s tranquility helps brain connect
Scans measuring brain activity show natural, tranquil scenes cause different brain areas to become 'connected' with one another (seen in orange) indicating that these brain regions were working in sync. (Credit: Michael Hunter, U. Sheffield)
U. SHEFFIELD (UK)—Human brain function is positively affected by tranquil living environments, according to a new study that used functional brain imaging.
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The findings demonstrate that tranquil environmental scenes containing natural features, such as the sea, cause distinct brain areas to become ‘connected’ with one another while man-made environments, such as motorways, disrupt the brain connections.
Details are published in the journal NeuroImage.
Researchers utilized the fact that waves breaking on a beach and traffic moving on a motorway produce a similar sound, perceived as a constant roar.
Study participants were presented with images of tranquil beach scenes and non-tranquil motorway scenes while they listened to the same sound associated with both.
Brain scanning that measures brain activity showed that the natural, tranquil scenes caused different brain areas to become ‘connected’ with one another—indicating that these brain regions were working in sync. However, the non-tranquil motorway scenes disrupted connections within the brain.
“People experience tranquility as a state of calmness and reflection, which is restorative compared with the stressful effects of sustained attention in day-to-day life, says Michael Hunter, from the department of neuroscience at Sheffield University.
“It is well known that natural environments induce feelings of tranquility whereas man-made, urban environments are experienced as non-tranquil. We wanted to understand how the brain works when it perceives natural environments, so we can measure its experience of tranquility.”
“This work may have implications for the design of more tranquil public spaces and buildings, including hospitals,” says Peter Woodruff, “because it provides a way of measuring the impact of environmental and architectural features on people’s psychological state.”
Researchers from the University of Bradford and the Institute of Medicine and Neuroscience at Jülich, Germany contributed to the study.
More news from University of Sheffield: www.shef.ac.uk/mediacentre/
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6 Comments
Emily Best
Very interesting findings, given the chronic high stress environments most of us find ourselves living in today. It seems this research further substantiates the work of Todd Braver at Washington University on brain behavior in high stress environments. It seems that our constant connectedness to the daily disturbances derails our normal, natural thought patterns. Maybe its time to unplug and take a walk in the woods.
Sravan
Naturally. We are Nature made (not science made), so we need to be connected with nature. Thats highly important to live in this Nature’s place.
if only scientists, and science-people, had the ‘natural’ understanding that sravan has shared…
I am fortunate enough to be living near Yosemite, California right now, and have been feeling very tranquil and connected.
Diane
biren, you should not generalize about scientists. We have 3 in our family and all 3 are very connected to nature.
This study reminded me how important it is to take a vacation in a tranquil space. I certainly agree with the findings on a personal level. When I am surrounded by nature, can hear birds and the silence of a forest, I am relaxed.