The Science Of How Nature Changes Your Brain—From Sleep To Cognition To Your Nervous System | Dacher Keltner
Dr. Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley psychology professor, discusses the profound psychological and physiological benefits of nature, highlighting its impact on sleep, cognition, memory, nervous system, and relationships. He emphasizes nature's role in fostering awe and pro-social behavior.
Deep Dive Analysis
14 Topic Outline
Introduction to Nature's Benefits and Host's Perspective
Defining Awe: Emotion and Its Pro-Social Effects
Nature as a Primary Source of Awe
Moral Beauty: The Foremost Source of Awe
Awe's Role in Ecological Belonging and Environmental Action
Psychological and Physiological Benefits of Nature Exposure
Nature's Impact on Cognition, Memory, and Focus
Rewilding Spaces for Children's Well-being
Mechanisms of Nature's Mental Benefits
Nature's Influence on Sleep Patterns
Nature for Promoting Trust and Social Bonding
Benefits of Encountering Wildlife in Nature
Practical Ways to Incorporate Nature into Daily Life
National Parks as a Contemplative Resource
5 Key Concepts
Awe
Awe is an emotion felt when encountering things that are vast and mysterious, initiating wonder, feelings of smallness, and altruistic desires. It makes individuals feel part of something larger than themselves, fostering cooperation and shared interests.
Default Mode Network
This is a region of the brain active during self-referential thought, self-criticism, and tracking personal concerns. Experiences of awe in nature can deactivate this network, allowing for a more open, curious, and less self-focused attention.
Ecological Belonging
This concept emphasizes that humans are life forms deeply integrated into ecosystems, and understanding this relationship is vital for survival. Awe helps surface this knowledge and fosters a state of reverence for the natural world, promoting environmentally friendly behavior.
Vagal Tone
Vagal tone refers to the activity level of the vagus nerve, a large bundle of nerves that supports cardiovascular function. Elevated vagal tone is a positive physiological benefit associated with exposure to nature, indicating a calmer nervous system.
Circadian Rhythm
The body's natural internal clock, present in every cell, which regulates sleep-wake cycles and other bodily functions. Exposure to natural light, particularly sunlight, significantly influences and helps regulate this rhythm.
12 Questions Answered
Awe is an emotion experienced when encountering vast and mysterious phenomena, leading to feelings of smallness, wonder, and a desire for altruistic action.
Awe fosters a sense of being part of something larger than oneself, like an ecosystem or social group, which encourages cooperation, sharing resources, and prioritizing others' interests for collective survival.
Nature is the second most common source of awe globally, as it helps people understand their relationship to ecosystems and instills a deep sense of reverence for the natural world.
The most common source of awe is 'moral beauty,' which involves witnessing acts of kindness, courage, resilience, and selflessness in others.
Awe cultivates a sense of ecological belonging and reverence for the natural world, leading people to engage in more environmentally friendly behaviors and rewilding efforts.
Spending time in nature improves concentration, sharpens attention, elevates vagal tone, boosts the immune system, lowers cortisol, reduces depression, and increases happiness.
Experiences of awe in nature calm the stress response and deactivate the default mode network in the brain, allowing the mind to be more open, curious, and better able to take in and remember information.
Exposure to natural light helps regulate circadian rhythms, and regular walking or immersion in nature calms the body and lowers cortisol, indirectly benefiting sleep patterns.
Shared experiences of awe in nature, such as camping or walking together, can solidify teams and foster a sense of common spirit and connection, making people more open and less defensive.
Seeing animals in nature can evoke awe, leading to humility and reverence for the power of nature and different species, and can also create a sense of common spirit and connection, potentially increasing oxytocin levels.
Practical advice includes intentional walking in nature, gardening, looking at beautiful images or films of nature, and consciously opening one's senses (listening, looking, smelling) to natural elements, even in urban settings.
National parks offer accessible opportunities for contemplative practices like nature walks, intentionally observing elements, and engaging senses, transforming them into places of sacred contemplation.
12 Actionable Insights
1. Build Daily Nature Moments
Integrate short moments (a few minutes) of connecting with nature into your daily routine, even in urban settings, by intentionally opening your senses to elements like wind, water, colors, or smells. This practice activates ‘goodness’ in the human nervous system and fosters a deeper relationship with nature.
2. Take Intentional Nature Walks
Practice walking in nature with intention, pausing to observe elements like trees, the sky, and clouds, and consider ritualizing these walks. This helps calm the mind and body, improving attention, focus, and overall well-being.
3. Reflect on Moral Beauty
Cultivate awe by reflecting on acts of moral beauty, such as the kindness, courage, or resilience of others (e.g., family members, public figures, or everyday generosity). This can provoke pro-social behavior like sharing and cooperation, moving from self-interest to thinking about others.
4. Get Daily Natural Light
Expose your skin to natural light for about 20 minutes a day to help regulate your circadian rhythm, which is crucial for improving sleep patterns and overall physical and mental health.
5. Engage in Gardening
Participate in gardening activities like raking or planting to foster a close relationship with nature and enjoy its benefits. This practice can calm the body, reduce cortisol, and indirectly benefit sleep patterns.
6. Acquire All-Weather Outdoor Gear
Invest in appropriate outdoor clothing and gear, such as insulated jackets, to enable you to spend time outside comfortably regardless of weather conditions. This allows for consistent access to nature’s benefits, even when the weather is challenging.
7. Watch Nature Documentaries/Images
When direct access to nature is limited, view nature documentaries (e.g., BBC Earth, Richard Attenborough films) or beautiful images of nature. This can still provide psychological benefits, cultivate a sense of awe, and calm the mind.
8. Contemplate in National Parks
When visiting national parks, engage in contemplative practices by pausing to observe specific elements, listen to water, smell trees, or take an ‘awe walk’ or ’nature walk.’ This transforms the visit into a sacred experience, fostering reverence for the natural world.
9. Lead Outdoor Team Activities
For leaders, organize outdoor activities like camping, mountain trips, or even walks in nature with your team or mentees. This fosters shared awe, solidifies team bonds, improves collaboration, and enhances relationships.
10. Take Short Nature Breaks
Incorporate short breaks (e.g., five minutes an hour) to step outside and observe nature, such as looking at clouds. This practice can calm the mind, improve focus, and enhance intellectual performance, especially for students.
11. Seek Wildlife Encounters
Actively seek encounters with wildlife in nature (e.g., large animals like bears). This can cultivate humility, reverence for the power of nature, and a sense of common spirit with other species.
12. Make Eye Contact with Animals
Engage in eye contact with other species, such as pets or wildlife, to potentially experience a burst in oxytocin levels. This neuropeptide is associated with trust, communion, and connection, fostering a sense of common spirit.
9 Key Quotes
Nature is health care.
Dacher Keltner
Awe is an emotion that we feel when we encounter vast mysteries.
Dacher Keltner
There's nothing that nature cannot repair.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (quoted by Dacher Keltner)
It just hits that primal switch of moving from self-interest to thinking about other people, which is vital to our survival.
Dacher Keltner
We are wired up to be transformed in simply seeing other people's selflessness and their courage and kindness.
Dacher Keltner
You just feel like you take in more of the world around you. You see things more clearly.
Dacher Keltner
Every cell has a clock in it.
Dacher Keltner
People who write in the space think of the body as almost like an antenna, you know, and you just take in all this information from nature.
Dacher Keltner
There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.
Norwegian expression (quoted by Dan Harris)
1 Protocols
Cultivating Awe and Nature Connection
Dacher Keltner- Develop awareness that nature and your relationship to it is a deep form of contemplation and a way to approach life.
- Walk intentionally in nature, pausing to look at trees, the sky, and clouds, and ritualize the walk.
- Engage in gardening, raking, and enjoying the benefits of a close relationship to the things you garden.
- Look at beautiful images or photos of nature, or watch nature documentaries like BBC Earth.
- Open your senses to nature by stopping and intentionally listening to wind or water/rain, looking at colors, and smelling things.
- Look at the sky intentionally, taking a photo and reflecting on your state of consciousness.