neurotransmitters

Getting out in nature

There are real neurological benefits to getting out in nature. Let’s look at four of those.

Dopamine and Learning

In order for us to learn something new, we need to store it in long term memory. If we’re unable to save it there, then we’ll immediately lose that learning the moment we focus our working memory on something new. Working memory is quite limited¹ so we need to save those memories quickly if we’re going to.

1. The research indicates that the typical person can hold 7±2 chunks of information in their working memory at once. There are reports of people who can store as many as 80 chunks of information but these people are extreme outliers. ↩

Neurotransmitters that drive behaviour

While science has identified hundreds of different neurotransmitters in our brains, there are a number that are most commonly identified with behaviour. Each of these are part of our survival mechanism and will encourage or discourage specific behaviours with the goal of keeping us safe.

The millennial whoop and our brain as a prediction engine

Our brains are highly advanced prediction engines¹. They are constantly trying to predict what will happen next so that we can be prepared for what’s coming. When our brain makes a successful prediction then we get rewarded with a tiny shot of dopamine that makes us feel good.

1. Professor Lisa Feldman Barrett explains how our brains evolved as a prediction engine in her excellent book Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain ↩