Walking in the city is very different from walking in the park. A small psychology study suggests urban environments can slow your step and possibly increase your mental load.
It can ease your mind and quicken your pace. The findings show that natural settings may potentially reduce cognitive (认知的) tiredness and improve reaction time straight away.
The first of the two experiments in the new study focused on people’s way of walking and cognitive load. During this trial, participants were fitted with sensors and a dozen motion control cameras were set up to watch them repeatedly walk down a l5-metre room at their natural speed. The wall opposite them showed an image of either a nature scene or a city scene.
Measuring reaction time in both natural and urban settings, the team found results to support their idea. In urban environments, participants were slower in distinguishing between simple shapes.
| A．Nature influences us in many ways. |
| B．A walk through nature does the opposite, though. |
| C．They said they couldn’t concentrate properly after walking. |
| D．After each, participants were asked to rate their discomfort. |
| E．The study includes two experiments with two different ways. |
| F．The second experiment dug into some higher-level cognitive processes. |
| G．The reason is that urban environments are more likely to take our attention away. |
