<ul><li>an arboretum is better than city streets for a memory test </li><li> spend time in green spaces—gardens, parks, forests</li><li>attention = limited resource, continually drains throughout the day -> A crowded intersection bats our attention around</li><li> A walk through a city provides more immediate stimulation—a greater variety of sensations for the mind to play with. </li><li>But, if we are already at the brink of overstimulation -> nature</li></ul>Brain & Music: <ul><li>songs with high tempos motivates us to run faster</li><li>loud, fast music -> drivers unconsciously step a bit harder on the gas pedal</li></ul>

Where to Walk?

Experiment - contemplate & generate metaphors:<ul><li>95% of students who went for a walk were able to do so</li><li>only 50% of those who never stood up.</li></ul>But walking can worsen the performance: <ul><li>if you’re looking for a single correct answer to a question!! You probably don’t want all of these different ideas bubbling up.</li></ul>

Why Walking Help Us Think 

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">exercise/walking improves thinking skills, immediately and in the longer term</li><li class="ql-align-justify">exercise -> better memory & ability to make decisions, organize thoughts</li><li class="ql-align-justify">but prolonged, intense exercise -> brief mental fatigue!</li><li class="ql-align-justify">walking improves our ability to generate more and better creative ideas, even when we sat down after the walk</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Inside or outside, the environment doesn’t matter, but walk!</li></ul>

How To Be More Creative?

<ul><li>The heart pumps faster, circulating more blood & oxygen to the brain.</li><li>We don’t have to be so conscious during walking, our attention is free to wander.</li></ul>-> After/during exercise, even very mild exertion, people perform better on tests of memory and attention.Walking on a regular basis :<ul><li>promotes new connections between brain cells,</li><li>prevents the usual withering of brain tissue that comes with age,</li><li>increases the volume of the hippocampus (crucial for memory) & levels of molecules -> stimulating the growth of new neurons</li></ul>

Why Walking Help Us Think

A brief stroll, even one just around your office, can spur creativity, according to a new study.