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EXPLORE NATURE AND IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH BY STEPPING OFF THE SIDEWALK
PHOTOS BY | CHRIS BRONSON, JESSICA JANASZ AND ADAM BUHLER
Tucked under a tall maple tree on Stauffer-Flint Lawn, the pink and yellow stripes of Sydney Silverstein's blanket rest against the green blades of grass. In the natural light of the mid-morning sun, she reads her anthropology book — shoes flipped off and sipping an iced coffee. "There is something nice about outside," says Silverstein, a graduate student from Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
As the breeze flutters the wisps of Silverstein's dark, curly hair across her forehead, she feels what landscapers and psychologists call a "connection with nature." Though Silverstein doesn't know the history or science behind that feeling, she embraces it. Amidst the chaos and stress of college life, stopping to watch the leaves fall could be just what the psychologist ordered. The KU campus was designed with that in mind.
The University's natural features, including trees lining Jayhawk Boulevard, Potter's Lake and Marvin Grove, were built into the 1,000 acres of campus from its beginnings in the 1870s. The open lawns in front of Stauffer-Flint, Lindley and Strong halls, the hill behind the Campanile, Potter's Lake, Marvin Grove, Prairie
Acres and Weaver Court at Spooner Hall were all designed for students to enjoy.
KU landscape architect Peg Livingood helps perserve campus's natural beauty amidst pressures to develop the land. In the 2008 Campus Heritage Plan, the University outlined how campus will continue to grow while maintaining the tradition of open spaces, which encourage connecting with nature. Livingood says."Open space on campus is important because many students don't experience much nature. They spend a majority of their day inside."
The nature woven throughout campus can help students with more than relaxation. "Nature helps present awareness and mindfulness," says Neil Christensen, a licensed psychologist. All of our senses engage in nature. We hear, smell, touch, taste and see every detail of our surroundings. This whole body sensing brings on a calm state. In those moments, the mind has time to reflect and probe deeper into feelings and thoughts.
As a counselor for Outback, a wilderness therapy center for teens in Utah, Christensen has learned that nature can help a person
connect with themselves. In the hustle of our high tech world, nature pulls us away from texting every two minutes or honing in on our favorite television show, "We get so absorbed in technology, we miss out on what's around us," Christensen says. When you blast music from your headphones, you miss the subtle sounds of the wind whistling or birds chirping. If you walk across campus and never glance up from your text message, you'll miss the row of red tulips just starting to bloom.
Though long periods of time outside can deepen your connection with nature and allow more self-reflection, any time spent outside, whether sitting under a tree or walking to and from class, can help with stress, anger, depression or anxiety.
Christensen, who is also a 2008 graduate, says students can enjoy nature while they work. He remembers spending hours by Potter's Lake reading textbooks or finishing papers. "Incorporating nature into activities can place a person's mind at ease," he says.
While experiencing nature a person has a greater ability to think. The touch of nature brings the whole body into the activity and
wakes it up. "Think about taking a walk for five minutes or sitting outside instead of gulping down a Red Bull," he says.
Katie Flippo, Wichita freshman, likes the focus the outdoors brings. "I sit outside because it is quieter. I am more relaxed and can concentrate on studying," she says.
Science verifies the positive effect nature has on people. At the University of Michigan in 2008, Marc Berman, a postdoctoral research fellow, did a study to test how nature affects college students. Groups of students took a 50-minute walk along nature corridors or busy urban areas. While walking in their respective environments, the students were asked to remember numbers. The results showed that the students who walked through the urban areas had no mental improvement, while the students who walked through nature improved by 20 percent. Berman says no matter the weather or how much the participants enjoyed the walk, the students who walked through nature always showed improvement, even if they were tromping through snow.
Berman says this happens because our brain has two different types of attention: direct and involuntary. Direct attention means the mind suppresses distraction and focuses in on one thing, causing mental fatigue. Involuntary attention is activated by environmental factors such as a loud noise. The events we have no control over automatically capture attention and don't fatigue the mind. This is how nature plays a role in campus. Every stick that snaps or brightly colored leaf that falls automatically captures our attention, not fatiguing our already worn out bodies and minds.
The psychological impact of campus is planned by architects. Kenneth Rupp, landscape architect at the University of Michigan, says all parts of campus should be functional. "Campus is planned to serve a higher purpose than be pretty," he says. Speed and efficiency are factored in on sidewalk design, and the open spaces should be used for activities such as studying and relaxing. When campuses are under pressure to develop, every square inch becomes even more important.
Because every tree, flower, path and bench has a function, Richard Dober, senior consultant at Dober Lidsky Mathy, a campus planning firm