Hello Reader,
Like many researchers, my lab isn’t exactly the most aesthetic place—there’s no intentional interior design creating a warm and comfortable environment. Quite the opposite: I spend three days a week in a laboratory facility within a large and busy research hospital. White walls and the loud noise of helicopters landing and taking off from the helipad are all my sensory neurons get to process in the environment. And I am not alone: our workplaces aren’t designed to feel homey; often they are purely functional and can feel bleak. So when it was announced that we’d have a lab outing in a nearby forest, spirits were high.
We all know that spending time in nature is good for us, but why exactly? After all, virtually everyone in the lab had a bright smile on their face as we walked through the forest, surrounded by autumn colours, sheep, and vast emptiness. The switch was remarkable—we seemed like entirely different people.
Your Brain in Different Environments
Everything around you is processed by your brain and, in some way, affects it. Every experience you have—whether it’s the ocean breeze, the cold air from an AC, the view over your city from an office building, or the letters on your screen as you work from home—is filtered and evaluated by your brain. It determines what’s relevant to focus on while maintaining internal balance, known as homeostasis.
When we are repeatedly exposed to the same environment, like an office, the sensory information becomes less noteworthy over time. Neuroscientists refer to this as salience—the degree to which something stands out and captures our attention.
Consider this: The more time you spend in a space, the less you consciously notice about it. Your brain doesn’t process familiar environments with the same level of detail as it does novel ones; it would be incredibly inefficient to do so. Instead, it filters out the overly familiar and hones in on what’s more interesting or, as we’ve learned, salient. So if you haven’t spent much time in nature in a while, a walk in a park or forest will very likely feel salient. So how is that linked to our mood?
The Magic of Awe
Every time your brain processes a new environment, it activates the salience network, a neural system responsible for detecting and prioritizing relevant cues in your surroundings. This network helps allocate your attention—a finite cognitive resource—to stimuli deemed significant.
The salience network is closely connected to the default mode network (DMN), which is involved in introspection, overthinking, and aspects of mood regulation. The interaction between these networks helps shape how we perceive and respond to our environment. When the salience network identifies something novel or engaging, it signals to other networks, including the DMN, effectively saying, “This is interesting!” In turn, the DMN may supress negative self-thoughts, encouraging curiosity, engagement, and even social connection in response to the newfound stimulus.
When you encounter something truly special—like the vibrant colours of an autumn forest, the vast expanse of a mountain range, or even the intricate patterns of a starlit sky—you may experience awe. This can transform not just your perspective but your entire emotional state.
So how can we invite more of that feeling of awe into our daily lives? According to UC Berkeley professor of psychology Dacher Keltner, a simple yet powerful way to cultivate awe is by taking what he calls an “awe walk.” This involves intentionally going for a walk or hike—not just for exercise or as a means to get from one place to another—but as a mindful exploration of your surroundings. During an awe walk, the goal is to pay close attention to things you might usually overlook: the delicate patterns of leaves, the way light filters through trees, or the intricate designs of a spiderweb.
What makes this practice so impactful is the mindset it fosters. By slowing down and becoming curious about your environment, you engage your brain’s salience network, making you more attuned to your surroundings.
“There’s suggestive evidence that awe activates oxytocin release, which makes you feel more cooperative and connected. Some kinds of awe deactivate the amygdala, which is a threat-related region of the brain.” — Dr. Dacher Keltner, UC Berkely
If you want to learn more about this, I can recommend his book Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder.
Nature can relieve Pain
There’s another reason why spending time in nature feels so deeply restorative: green light itself has pain-relieving properties. Increasingly, research is showing that exposure to green wavelengths can activate neural pathways tied to pain modulation. What’s fascinating is that green light appears to have a unique effect on the brain’s pain-processing centres, particularly in regions involved in descending pain inhibition—a system your brain uses to naturally suppress discomfort. Unlike other colours in the visible spectrum, green seems to hold a special ability to calm these neural circuits. Forests, fields, and even urban parks immerse us in green hues, surrounding us with this natural form of therapy.
It’s not just the tranquillity of nature that soothes—it’s literally the wavelengths of light themselves that we see as green, working in our to reduce pain and enhance well-being.
Plant Tracker for Notion
Green spaces can restore both body and mind, and houseplants bring that magic indoors. If your plant collection keeps growing, staying organised can be tricky—which is why I’ve updated my AI-powered Plant Inventory Template on Notion.
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Take Home Points
- Your Brain Thrives on Novelty: Repeated exposure to the same environment diminishes its impact on your brain, as familiar settings are filtered out to focus on novel stimuli. This is why stepping into a new environment, like a forest, can feel refreshing and engaging.
- The Salience and Default Mode Networks: When encountering something striking or new, your salience network prioritizes it, while the default mode network can enhance mood and encourage social connection. This neural interplay helps explain the mood-lifting effects of awe-inspiring natural settings.
- Deliberate immersion in nature, like an “awe walk,” heightens your awareness of the small wonders around you. This can release oxytocin, the “bonding hormone,” and calm brain regions linked to stress, making you feel more connected and at peace.
- The Therapeutic Power of Green Light: Green wavelengths of light uniquely activate neural pathways tied to pain modulation. Natural environments abundant in green hues, such as forests and parks, provide a literal “natural therapy” by reducing discomfort and promoting physical and emotional well-being.
Spending time in nature activates the salience network in our brain, making us more attentive and improving mood. 🧠 It’s a powerful reminder of how our environment shapes our mental state. – @faissalsharif 🌿
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Nature changes the brain, lifts your mood, and even eases discomfort. So, next time life feels overwhelming, step outside, soak in the greenery, and let nature work its magic. 🌿
