1 . The Upside to Being Outside
Research shows that being in nature makes people feel good, whether they’re roughing it in the wilderness for days or just hanging out at a local park for a while. One study was conducted in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. Researchers found that most participants’ mood and well-being improved significantly when they spent time in urban parks, even though the average visit was only around half an hour.
How does nature boost people’s happiness? Scientists say that spending time in natural settings reduces stress and anxiety, which benefits mental and physical health. Research shows our brains are more relaxed in natural settings. So, kicking back in a park is a bit like treating your mind to a restful mini vacation.
To most people, it’s not news that nature can be calming. But multiple studies have found that spending time in nature also has some more surprising benefits, like improving creativity and problem-solving.
What accounts for the connection with cognition and creativity? It could be that a good dose of nature acts as a cure to information overload. Everyday life involves a lot of multitasking. Some scientists theorize that spending time in nature enables our brains to rest and recover from mental tiredness.
Naturally, scientific studies don’t cover everything that’s great about the great outdoors.
A.One study revealed that people were better at figuring out puzzles after a four-day camping trip. |
B.According to many scientific studies, there’s a good chance it’ll make you happier, healthier, and more creative. |
C.What’s more, the lift people get from nature is long lasting. |
D.Lots of people enjoy fun activities outside, like swimming, riding bikes, or climbing trees. |
E.When the only light you’ve seen all day is the glow of a screen, it might be a good idea to switch it off. |
F.This means that whether you’re studying or playing video games, heading outside to give your brain a break might help you get to the next level. |
2 . Have We Forgotten How to Enjoy Our Free Time?
Leisure is the price, right? We work hard, so we want to play hard, we look forward to our time off, believing that the more leisure time we have, the better life will be. Enjoying that time—or savoring that end goal—should come naturally.
However, research shows that both having and deciding how to spend leisure time can be very stressful.
In fact, the way we perceive and value leisure has changed, problematically. Understanding this evolution and finding ways to change our attitudes surrounding leisure could help people to start enjoying themselves once again.
Today, however, a lack of leisure time operates as a powerful status symbol. In the workplace, being part of the long-hours working culture is seen by many as a badge of honor. This fuels the idea that we must maximize leisure's enjoyment value and make every hour count when we actually do get some time off. This might not necessarily be a bad thing.
Fortunately, there are ways to help out.
A.But too much anticipation might set us up for a seemingly zero-duration holiday. |
B.Experts recommend using the peak-end rule, which influences the way we remember events. |
C.Equally, the way we chase the best leisure experiences has made recreation more stressful than ever. |
D.People of today tend to feel enormous pressure to make the best use of their downtime by making the best choices. |
E.Two thousand years ago, concepts of “work” and “leisure” was respectively associated with servitude(奴役)and freedom. |
F.Some people work to acquire collectable experiences that are unusual, novel or extreme to make our leisure time productive. |