Guide
Does nature restore your attention?
A walk among trees after a long day at a screen feels like a reset. Psychologists have a theory for why, and have tested it for decades.
In short. In a 2008 study, a walk in nature, and even pictures of nature, restored attention better than their city versions. The idea behind it, attention restoration theory, says nature holds attention gently and lets the effortful kind rest. Two reviews of later studies found real but modest effects on a few measures, mainly working memory and mental flexibility, and none on many others.
The theory
Much of a working day runs on directed attention: the effortful kind you use to read a contract or ignore a conversation, and it tires. Attention restoration theory says that natural places are full of things that catch attention gently, from the bottom up, which gives directed attention a chance to recover. A city street is different: it grabs attention hard and also demands it, for instance to avoid being hit by a car.
The classic study
Marc Berman, John Jonides and Stephen Kaplan tested this in two experiments, published in Psychological Science in 2008. Walking in nature, and even looking at pictures of nature, improved directed attention, measured with a backwards digit-span task (repeating a string of numbers in reverse) and a standard attention test. The urban versions were less restorative.
What the reviews found
| Review | What it found |
|---|---|
| Ohly and colleagues, 2016: 31 studies | Clear benefits on three measures (two digit-span tasks and a trail-making test), none marked on the other ten; small studies that varied a lot |
| Stevenson and colleagues, 2018: 42 articles | Better working memory and mental flexibility after time in nature, and less reliably attentional control; small to moderate effects; real places may beat virtual ones |
So: nature is not a cure-all for concentration, but for some kinds of attention the effect is real, modest and cheap to try.
How to get more from a walk
- Green over grey, when you have the choice: a park, a river path, a street with trees.
- Leave the feed behind. If directed attention is what needs a rest, a walk spent reading a screen may not give it one. Try some walks with the phone at home: how to leave your phone at home.
- Let the mind wander. It is also when ideas come: why ideas come on walks.
- A view helps when a walk is not possible: in the 2008 study, even pictures of nature helped.
Quiet on a walk
On a walk, Lychnos Ring is designed to stay quiet unless something you chose comes in, so the phone can stay at home. It is in development and makes no health claims.
Sources, read 4 November 2026: Berman, Jonides and Kaplan, the cognitive benefits of interacting with nature, Psychological Science, 2008; Ohly and colleagues, attention restoration theory: a systematic review, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 2016; Stevenson, Schilhab and Bentsen, attention restoration theory II, same journal, 2018. Abstracts read at Europe PMC. General information.
Questions
Does nature improve concentration?
Modestly, for some kinds of attention. A classic 2008 study found a walk in nature restored attention better than a walk in the city; reviews of later studies found improvements in working memory and mental flexibility, and no clear effect on many other measures.
Do pictures of nature work too?
In the 2008 study, looking at pictures of nature also improved attention. A 2018 review suggests real places may work better than virtual ones, though that may be because people spent longer in them.