Nusrat Jahan
We all know that a hiking session is great for a spiritual and mental cleanse, but it turns out that it’s great for the brain too!
Though we do not notice it, a lot of the people living in urban areas are often consumed by negative and obsessive thoughts that cause them to resort to various forms of self-harm and depression. A study that was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that hiking leads to a significant decrease in obsessive and negative thoughts.
In order to conduct the study, the researchers surveyed urban and rural hikers alike and asked them about their thoughts. They discovered that the ones who walked through a natural environment for at least 90 minutes, had lower amount of negative thoughts and less neural activity in the area of the brain connected to mental illness. However, the ones who hiked through urban areas showed less signs of positive thoughts.
Apparently, amplified urbanization is very closely correlated to depression and poor mental health. Taking the time to walk out of our concrete cage is good for both our brain and body.
The study revealed that technology and urban noise are extremely unsettling, persistently trying to have our attention and preventing us from focusing on important things. A good hike can lessen mental exhaustion, calm the mind, and enhance creative thoughts. Hiking is also good for children with the highly prevalent illness known as ADD.
And of course, last but not the least, and the most obvious one- hiking is a great way to burn about 400 – 700 calories per hour, and is more useful for your joints than any other activity like running or jogging.