Close Menu
    Latest

    Russia Terminates Historic Military Agreement with Germany, signaling the start of a new era of strategic conflict in Europe

    July 20, 2025

    Priya Malik, the stunning Rio Olympic medallist, shines in Budapest and takes home silver

    July 20, 2025

    Trump’s Claim of Five Jets Downed in Operation Sindoor Sparks Controversy

    July 20, 2025

    Spain Reach EURO 2025 Semi-Finals, but Switzerland Steals the Show

    July 19, 2025

    Israeli Airstrikes on Damascus Escalate Tensions, Reshape Middle East Dynamics

    July 17, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    Trending
    • Russia Terminates Historic Military Agreement with Germany, signaling the start of a new era of strategic conflict in Europe
    • Priya Malik, the stunning Rio Olympic medallist, shines in Budapest and takes home silver
    • Trump’s Claim of Five Jets Downed in Operation Sindoor Sparks Controversy
    • Spain Reach EURO 2025 Semi-Finals, but Switzerland Steals the Show
    • Israeli Airstrikes on Damascus Escalate Tensions, Reshape Middle East Dynamics
    • Jennifer Lopez’s Sizzling Summer Party Vibe Lights Up Instagram
    • KIIT-DU Sends Record Contingent to 2025 World University Games in Germany
    • Access Healthcare’s $6 Billion Deal Fuels India’s Tech Boom in 2025
    • About
    • Careers
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Digpu NewsDigpu News
    Sunday, July 20
    • Home
    • World
    • India
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Sports
    • More
      • Achievers
      • Auto Tech
      • Diplomatic Diary
      • Dil Paziir
      • Education
      • Entertainment
      • Finance
      • Health
      • Opinion
      • Politics
      • Press release
      • Startup
      • Science & Nature
      • Travel
    Digpu NewsDigpu News
    Home » Lifestyle » Spending time outdoors has a positive effect on the brain: Study

    Spending time outdoors has a positive effect on the brain: Study

    By Digpu News StaffJuly 17, 2021 Lifestyle 4 Mins Read
    outdoors
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Our results show that our brain structure and mood improve when we spend time outdoors

    If you’re regularly out in the fresh air, you’re doing something good for both your brain and your well-being, according to a new study.

    The study was led by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). The longitudinal study recently appeared in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, walks became a popular and regular pastime. A neuroscientific study suggested that this habit has a good effect not only on our general well-being but also on our brain structure.

    It showed that the human brain benefits from even short stays outdoors. Until now, it was assumed that environments affect us only over longer periods of time.

    The researchers regularly examined six healthy, middle-aged city dwellers for six months. In total, more than 280 scans were taken of their brains using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The focus of the study was on self-reported behavior during the last 24 hours and in particular on the hours that participants spent outdoors prior to imaging.

    In addition, they were asked about their fluid intake, consumption of caffeinated beverages, the amount of time spent outside, and physical activity, in order to see if these factors altered the association between time spent outside and the brain. In order to be able to include seasonal differences, the duration of sunshine in the study period was also taken into account.

    Brain scans show that the time spent outdoors by the participants was positively related to gray matter in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is the superior (dorsal) and lateral part of the frontal lobe in the cerebral cortex.
    This part of the cortex is involved in the planning and regulation of actions as well as what is referred to as cognitive control. In addition, many psychiatric disorders are known to be associated with a reduction in gray matter in the prefrontal area of the brain.

    The results persisted even when the other factors that could also explain the relationship between time spent outdoors and brain structure were kept constant.

    The researchers performed statistical calculations in order to examine the influence of sunshine duration, a number of hours of free time, physical activity, and fluid intake on the results. The calculations revealed that time spent outdoors had a positive effect on the brain regardless of the other influencing factors.

    “Our results show that our brain structure and mood improve when we spend time outdoors. This most likely also affects concentration, working memory, and the psyche as a whole. We are investigating this in an ongoing study. The subjects are asked to also solve cognitively challenging tasks and wear numerous sensors that measure the amount of light they are exposed to during the day, among other environmental indicators,” said Simone Kuhn, head of the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and lead author of the study.

    The results, therefore, support the previously assumed positive effects of walking on health and extend them by the concrete positive effects on the brain. Because most psychiatric disorders are associated with deficits in the prefrontal cortex, this is of particular importance to the field of psychiatry.

    “These findings provide neuroscientific support for the treatment of mental disorders. Doctors could prescribe a walk in the fresh air as part of the therapy – similar to what is customary for health cures,” said Anna Mascherek, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and co-author of the study.

    In the ongoing studies, the researchers also want to directly compare the effects of green environments vs urban spaces on the brain.

    In order to understand where exactly the study participants spend their time outdoors, the researchers plan to use GPS (Global Positioning System) data and include other factors that may play a role such as traffic noise and air pollution.

    Brain Max Planck Institute for Human Development outdoors
    Digpu News Staff
    • Website

    Stay tuned to read latest updates and news from all around the world.

    Similar type of news

    By Digpu News Desk3 Mins Read

    Elon Musk Confirms First Successful Human Implantation of Neuralink Brain Chip

    Read More
    By Digpu News Staff4 Mins Read

    Taking short breaks may help our brains to learn new skills

    Read More
    By Digpu News Staff4 Mins Read

    Moderate alcohol consumption may lower down the stress signals in brain

    Read More
    By Digpu News Staff4 Mins Read

    International study links brain thinning to psychosis

    Read More
    By Digpu News Staff3 Mins Read

    Intoxicating effects of alcohol linked with brain regions, finds study

    Read More
    By Digpu News Staff3 Mins Read

    Scientists use AI to map how the brain understands sentences

    Read More
    Latest

    Trump’s Claim of Five Jets Downed in Operation Sindoor Sparks Controversy

    July 20, 2025

    Spain Reach EURO 2025 Semi-Finals, but Switzerland Steals the Show

    July 19, 2025

    Israeli Airstrikes on Damascus Escalate Tensions, Reshape Middle East Dynamics

    July 17, 2025

    Jennifer Lopez’s Sizzling Summer Party Vibe Lights Up Instagram

    July 17, 2025

    KIIT-DU Sends Record Contingent to 2025 World University Games in Germany

    July 17, 2025

    Access Healthcare’s $6 Billion Deal Fuels India’s Tech Boom in 2025

    July 16, 2025
    About
    About

    Digpu News – Free Voice With A Critical Edge: At Digpu.com, we embody the spirit of ‘Free Voice With A Critical Edge.‘ Our mission is to reinvent the very idea of news. Launched in 2018, our independent daily multi-lingual online news channel has set the standard for true journalism—emphasizing accuracy, reliability, relevance, and impartiality.

    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Highlights
    Russia Terminates Historic Military Agreement with Germany, signaling the start of a new era of strategic conflict in Europe
    Read More

    Priya Malik, the stunning Rio Olympic medallist, shines in Budapest and takes home silver

    Trump’s Claim of Five Jets Downed in Operation Sindoor Sparks Controversy

    Spain Reach EURO 2025 Semi-Finals, but Switzerland Steals the Show

    Subscribe to Digpu
    © 2025 Digpu News Network. All rights reserved.
    • Terms of Use
    • Site Map
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.