We’ve discussed time and time again how walking can boost creativity and mood. The above quote, from Ferris Jabr at the New Yorker, sums up all the studies we’ve seen so far in a pretty simple way.
Photo by João Lavinha
The New Yorker digs into some of the science and history of walking’s relationship with creativity. After all the science and history, the conclusion sums it up nicely:
Perhaps the most profound relationship between walking, thinking, and writing reveals itself at the end of a stroll, back at the desk. There, it becomes apparent that writing and walking are extremely similar feats, equal parts physical and mental. When we choose a path through a city or forest, our brain must survey the surrounding environment, construct a mental map of the world, settle on a way forward, and translate that plan into a series of footsteps. Likewise, writing forces the brain to review its own landscape, plot a course through that mental terrain, and transcribe the resulting trail of thoughts by guiding the hands. Walking organizes the world around us; writing organizes our thoughts.
Head over to The New Yorker for the full details and a look at all the research.
Why Walking Helps Us Think [The New Yorker]
Comments