Climate Action
The Effect of Nature on Cognition
July 26, 2013
Being outside for recess is what students look forward to every school day. People say being outside is good for your health. They say connecting with nature is vital. But how important is it, and how does it improve health – especially your mind?
Every day, we are bombarded by the stress of a changing climate. Ocean degradation, toxic chemical release, increased pollution, extinction of species…and the list goes on. We feel the physical effects of environmental transformation all around us, even in our own backyards. But how does this affect our minds? Eco-psychology concludes that humans internalize these environmental changes because we have an innate connection to the environment around us. As a result, our cognitive processes can be affected, which, in turn, impacts students’ schoolwork! The environment can positively or negatively affect our minds, depending on whether the outside stimuli are good or bad.