- All right.
- "Please count backwards from a thousand to zero, by sevens."
Okay, yeah, I don't like this.
(Amy laughs) "For example, you would start by saying, 1000, followed by 993, 986, and so on."
- [Amy] Do you have any questions?
- I have a lot of questions.
(Amy laughs) Why are you making me do that?
(laughs) - It's for the sake of science.
- Oh, for science, that's always a good excuse.
(Amy laughs) 657... And so, I continue with a mission you can only call mind-numbing.
644... Amy's making part of my brain work extra hard.
The part that has to pay attention to get through a challenging task, just like your brain has to do if you're driving in heavy traffic, or dealing with too much screen time.
You know, modern life.
- All right, good job.
(chuckles) You can stop now.
- Wow.
- How was it?
- That was horrible.
(Amy chuckles) - [Amy] Are you ready to get out of this lab?
- I am so ready to get out of this lab.
- Awesome.
(Baratunde sighs) - Are you sure you're not doing another experiment where you just wire people up and send them off into the park?
- And see how self-conscious they are?
- [Baratunde] Yes.
(laughs) (water rushing) Now this is a new experience.
Walking around Red Butte Garden with a sci-fi swimming cap over my head, and what looks like a child's backpack.
Thank God I have this sign on my back, because I know whoever sees me is gonna have some questions.
But, in the name of science, I relax.
The pastoral settings take over, the grass, the trees, the fields.
There's even a little babbling brook.
For a moment, I forget we're conducting an experiment.
(water rushing) (gentle music) But, before I know it, it's back to the beige lab to complete the after portion of this test.
Thankfully, this time, I don't have to do any math.
And, boom.
I've contributed to the study of neuroscience and the outdoors.
- I'm just gonna peel this off your head.
It's a little gross feeling, but sweet relief underneath.
- Yeah.
- How's that feel?
- Oh, my brain can breathe again.
- Right?
- It's nice.
But, still, I've got a few questions about her work.
What was the point of having me count backwards from a thousand?
- Yeah.
- Was that just for fun, for you, or was there a scientific purpose?
- Yeah, just pure evil.
(Baratunde laughs) Constantly running from one thing to the next, answering emails, text messages.
- [Baratunde] Yeah.
- It's thought that that's very depleting for your cognition.
- I can guarantee you it's depleting for my cognition.
- Yeah, and so that was our way of, in the lab, depleting you, - Mm-hmm.
- So that you go into your walk depleted, - Okay.
- So that we can see if you are restored, being in nature, because there aren't as many attentional demands placed on you at any given moment, that your attention networks are able to really rest and recuperate when you're in nature.
- Yeah.
So, I know you don't have time to fully analyze my results, but you've done this with a number of other people.
What have you learned from your other study subjects?
- Yeah, so the protocol that you did... - Here's what Amy and her colleagues have learned.
After having your brain stressed out and tired from all that math, a walk in the garden returns your brain to a calmer state.
The important thing is that this restoration is greater after a walk in nature than a similar walk in an urban setting.
Yeah, I'm excited by the results of this validating what a lot of humans already feel, - [Amy] Mm-hmm.
- And I hope it does go beyond that, to policies.
- [Amy] Mm-hmm.
- [Baratunde] Giving people access to trees, real green things, - Mm-hmm.
- [Baratunde] Is gonna help us all, you know, be healthier.
- Mm-hmm.
- Amy, I want to thank you for bringing me into your lab, but most importantly, for releasing me from your lab, into this beautiful garden, (Amy laughs) and showing me some of what you're learning, formally, that a lot of us have felt, and known, informally, about the effect of nature on our bodies and our brains.
Thank you.
- Yeah.
Yeah, of course, thanks for coming in.
I appreciate you letting me put brain cap on you and be my lab rat.
- Yes.
(laughs)
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