It’s coming, and it can’t be stopped. Finals week — where sleep gives way to cram sessions, student stress levels reach new heights and the well of creativity tends to run dry. Almost every university student across the nation falls victim to the ailments of finals week, but U students can beat it. There is a remedy, and it lies in our backyard. It is free, pure, organic, green, and its effectiveness is scientifically proven.
Recent studies have shown venturing into nature has many restorative effects on the brain. It is as simple as that: being in nature is the remedy to the finals week epidemic. However, for the remedy to work, students need to be present in nature. Unplugging from the technology that takes over so much of our daily lives is the key to unlocking nature’s brain power potential.
We are constantly connected with smartphones, tablets, laptops, and computers. It fragments our concentration and inhibits our ability to be present in the real world. By logging off social networks and connecting with our natural environment, researchers have found our brain function increases.
So, if you need some help getting through finals week, try some of these research-backed methods to boost productivity and reduce stress.
If you are struggling with a paper or a project that requires some creativity, try heading down to Zion National Park for a camping trip. It is procrastination that will actually help you as a student.
In a recent study co-authored by U psychologist David Strayer, researchers found being in nature for an extended period of time sparked a surge of creativity in participants.
“Modern-day cellphones and computers and cars deplete our mental abilities,” Strayer said. “If you get out into nature and set aside technology, you get these restorative effects.”
The study involved 56 adventurers participating in hiking trips organized by Outward Bound expedition schools in Alaska, Colorado, Maine, and Washington. No electronic devices were allowed on the trips. Of the 56 study subjects, 24 took a 10-item creativity test the morning before they began their backpacking trip, and 32 took the test on the morning of the trip’s fourth day. The results showed on the fourth day backpackers were without smart technology, they scored a whopping 50 percent higher on the test.
“[We should] realize that sending texts and Instagram and email and anything like that can be fun and stimulating, but it also can have consequences,” Strayer advises students. “If you try to do all of that and study, your grades are going to suffer.”
Cramming for finals fills your brain’s memory storage to capacity. If you want to retain more information, try taking your notes for a walk through Red Butte Garden.
A 2008 study by Marc Berman at the University of Michigan found participants scored significantly higher on memory tests when walking through an arboretum compared to walking through city streets. He asked participants to memorize digits and recite them in reverse order, and then he sent one group into the natural setting of the arboretum and the other through the streets. The arboretum group remembered an average of 1.5 more digits on their second test than on their first compared with an average of 0.5 digits more for participants who had been exposed to the urban environment.
Strayer is familiar with this study and thinks the link between the increased performance is not only a result of escaping the hustle and bustle of city streets but is also connected to the physical activity of going for a walk. Fortunately for U students, there is a plethora of mind-restoring activities around them.
“You’ve got Shoreline Trail, you’ve got Red Butte, you’ve got City Creek, you’ve got all these places you can hike when the snow melts up in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons,” Strayer says. “This is a mecca for that.”
Strayer believes you do not have to be out in nature for an extended period of time to experience the benefits of getting away from it all. He also stresses the importance of disconnecting from technology to maximize nature’s memory boosting potential.
“The results seem to be pronounced after three or four days absent of all of the technology in the wilderness,” Strayer said. “But you’re going to get some bang for your buck even for shorter periods of time. The nice thing about Utah is there are so many options.”
Finals week inevitably compounds stress in students’ minds. If you are feeling the pressure, try taking a break from studying to enjoy the sights and sounds of Sugar House or Liberty Park.
A 2008 study conducted by University of Washington researcher Peter Kahn found viewing a natural environment relieved stress levels faster than looking at a blank wall or a television screen.
He built stress in participants by giving them a series of math tests, then placed some in front of a window overlooking a grassy lawn with trees, some in front of a plasma screen displaying the window scene in real time and others in front of a blank wall. The heart rates of those looking out the window had the quickest drop in heart rate while those staring at the plasma screen and the blank wall surprisingly experienced the same slower decrease in heart rate.
“I think parks are an example of why having access to nature is really, really important,” Strayer says of the Washington study. “There’s something in our DNA that resonates with being out in nature.”
Just looking at the Wasatch Mountains jutting up out of the Salt Lake Valley can invoke deep thought and reflection. Not only is it relaxing to get out into nature, it’s healthy too, and researchers are finding that it significantly benefits our brains.
As students who have to complete schoolwork, we are always using some form of technology. We are researching, writing, calculating, and making sure we are always connected with our social circles. Although it’s good to stay connected as it’s sometimes necessary to tackle our daily obligations in this tech-driven world, unplugging every once in a while has been proven to increase our cognitive function. By taking this advice and putting it into practice, you can instantly realize nature’s power for increasing your brain’s potential.