Brain and Nature Article

I am fond of nature and I am fond of brain research, so perhaps it comes as no surprise that an article in the Boston Globe entitled How the City Hurts Your Brain (and what you can do about it) caught my attention. Here is a snippet:

When a park is properly designed, it can improve the function of the brain within minutes. As the Berman study demonstrates, just looking at a natural scene can lead to higher scores on tests of attention and memory. While people have searched high and low for ways to improve cognitive performance, from doping themselves with Red Bull to redesigning the layout of offices, it appears that few of these treatments are as effective as simply taking a walk in a natural place.

Perhaps we should include more scenes of nature in our online courses? A virtual walk through the woods embedded into our lessons might help relax the stresses of our students' brains. Or perhaps real nature breaks could be added to lessons - encourage students to visit a park and stroll amongst some trees while contemplating the chapter review questions. I admit, it sounds a little out-there, but it certainly couldn't hurt.