We already know hiking is good for you.\u00a0It\u2019s great physical exercise that can combine bursts of intense activity, like scrambling up a steep incline, with the marathon-like slow burn of a full-day trek. But what hikers have known for years is that hiking isn\u2019t just good at making sure your jeans still fit when you get home\u2014it\u2019s also healthy for your head.<\/p>\n
Over the last few years, science has finally started looking into the mental benefits of being outdoors. A study<\/a> in 2012 found that spending time in nature may make it easier for people to enter \u201ca state of introspection and mind wandering.\u201d The study looked at several groups of backpackers and gave them cognitive tests before and during their trips\u2014and found scores increased across the board once people were hiking in the woods.<\/p>\n This builds on earlier research into something called \u201cAttention Restoration Theory,\u201d which essentially says that all those push notifications and text messages and meeting requests screaming for your attention just lead to stress, fatigue, illness, depression and distraction.<\/p>\n Hiking, however, is full of things that inspire \u201cinvoluntary attention.\u201d You notice natural events like the sound of a babbling brook or the way dappled light illuminates your path. Because these observations don\u2019t demand<\/em> anything of you, they lead to lowered stress and an increased capacity for creative problem solving.\u00a0And you can get some of those benefits just by looking at nature photography or by smelling scents from certain plant families like conifers (which is probably why everything in my house that can<\/em> have a scent smells like a forest).<\/p>\n Most important, though, is new research into the science of awe. Ask any hiker and they\u2019ve had this moment\u2014whether it\u2019s seeing Yosemite Valley for the first time, or looking out onto the Grand Canyon, or even being reminded of the presence of the Milky Way while gazing at the night sky from camp.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re awestruck by the azure waters of Crater Lake or simply by watching a family of deer cross your path, the effects are positive and incredibly powerful. In an article<\/a> in Scientific American<\/em>, researchers discovered awestruck people actually had their perceptions of time<\/em> altered, which in turn made them feel less irritable, less rushed and more willing to volunteer their time. Awe helps us feel a stronger bond with others and the world at large\u2014and even \u201cprompts people to redirect concern away from the self and toward everything else<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m glad science is finally catching up with what John Muir wrote in 1877: \u201cIn every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We already know hiking is good for you.\u00a0It\u2019s great physical exercise that can combine bursts of intense activity, like scrambling up a steep incline, with the marathon-like slow burn of a full-day trek. But what hikers have known for years is that hiking isn\u2019t just good at making sure your jeans still fit when you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387],"tags":[8],"internal-tag":[519,1673],"class_list":["post-4175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","tag-hike","internal-tag-casey-schreiner","internal-tag-pre-redirect-hike"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/hiking-for-your-head","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Experiencing Awe: Hiking for Your Head","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/hiking-for-your-head","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/hiking-for-your-head"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/04\/instant-stress-relief-e1448308000845.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/04\/instant-stress-relief-e1448308000845.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Crampton"}],"creator":["Angela Crampton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["hike"],"dateCreated":"2015-04-13T14:45:17Z","datePublished":"2015-04-13T14:45:17Z","dateModified":"2018-11-12T05:52:16Z"},"rendered":"