Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)
newyorker.com
Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)
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Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)
#2Great read. Thanks for the link.
I often get the same energized writing vibe after a run. Though unlike the article emphasizes near the end, my 5 mile daily run is preplanned (obviously) and so leaves my brain able to effectively "dissociate" and enter that realm of creative thinking that often precedes our falling asleep. After the first couple miles, my body gets into the groove and I'm able to either serenely absorb my surroundings -- the geese and their Spring young, say -- or float around in that gooey reality between daydreaming and acting.
Steve Jobs was a particularly notable "hacker type" who enjoyed walks. So besides the article's writer bent, I'd say idle physical activity is a good choice for those who just want to think.
Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)
#3Great read. Thanks for the link. I often get the same energized writing vibe after a run. Though unlike the article emphasizes near the end, my 5 mile daily run is preplanned (obviously) and so leaves my brain able to effectively "dissociate" and enter that realm of creative thinking that often precedes our falling asleep. After the first couple miles, my body gets into the groove and I'm able to either serenely abso…
Not at all particular to writing. I believe Einstein went on frequent walks too.
A walk through a park or a country path would be even better: greenery and nature has shown to boost creativity in some studies.
Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)
#4". When we go for a walk, the heart pumps faster, circulating more blood and oxygen not just to the muscles but to all the organs—including the brain. Many experiments have shown that after or during exercise, even very mild exertion, people perform better on tests of memory and attention. Walking on a regular basis also promotes new connections between brain cells, staves off the usual withering of brain tissue that comes with age, increases the volume of the hippocampus (a brain region crucial for memory), and elevates levels of molecules that both stimulate the growth of new neurons and transmit messages between them."
New neurons. The next line about walking being easy tells me you live in a flat area with no obstacles.
"A small but growing collection of studies suggests that spending time in green spaces—gardens, parks, forests—can rejuvenate the mental resources that man-made environments deplete."
Uneven ground. I always look for uneven ground. Walking on concrete, man-made paths is the equivalent of looking at brick walls.
Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)
#5This may be today's least original comment, but I've recently discovered the magic combination of podcast and treadmill. (I knew them both, separately, for a long time already.)
In addition to helping make 30 minutes of sweating go by much faster, I find it almost always generates a bunch of ideas. Like a little brainstorming walk, if you will, but all-weather and easier to schedule.
My current favorite podcast for this is the Andreessen Horowitz "a16z podcast."
Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)
#6Whenever I'm learning things when walking, the location an idea popped into my head is pretty much never forgotten. I'm not sure whether its actually valuable, but it feels like it makes the ideas unforgettable. I'm going to assume the value is real because: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_loci
I think consuming some portion of your subconscious with repetitive activity frees up some blocking on your conscious thought, so that you can stay engaged on an idea for longer. It's like your normal boredom/frustration loop gets muted by the repetitive behavior (music, movies in background, walking, fidgeting, etc.)
Sometimes having other things going on makes deep work easier, sometimes it makes it harder. I've noticed it's good to test both, and oscillate.
Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)
#7". When we go for a walk, the heart pumps faster, circulating more blood and oxygen not just to the muscles but to all the organs—including the brain. Many experiments have shown that after or during exercise, even very mild exertion, people perform better on tests of memory and attention. Walking on a regular basis also promotes new connections between brain cells, staves off the usual withering of brain tissue that…
Maintaining balance on uneven ground also works your lower back and pelvic floor more than on a concrete path. Strengthening these can help if you have back plane (and one could argue that chronic pain is an impediment to thinking).
Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)
#8Chris Arthur is a good writer for the walking if you liked the literary aspect of the OA.
The Irish Nocturnes essay Meditation on Walking used to be online. Fortunately, the Way Back Machine has it.
http://web.archive.org/web/20010413013113/http://www.richmon...
[The Richmond Review was a nice early Web based literary magazine]
Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)
#9Sorry I didn't have time to read completely, I will read this when I have free time.
But I wanted to mention this is completely reverse for me. Over the years I have found my body and mind are complete opposite side of each other. I have to complete stay moveless, and when I stay moveless for awhile that's when my mind will work at its extreme capacity. Moving, Walking, Talking, Writing, everything is kinda distraction from my deepest mind state, and I need that state when I study Math especially the hard/analytical problems. I call that deep state, ZEN. I wish I could be in that state everywhere and every day.
Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)
#10This may be today's least original comment, but I've recently discovered the magic combination of podcast and treadmill. (I knew them both, separately, for a long time already.) In addition to helping make 30 minutes of sweating go by much faster, I find it almost always generates a bunch of ideas. Like a little brainstorming walk, if you will, but all-weather and easier to schedule. My current favorite podcast for t…
The a16z podcast would generate a bunch of ideas irrespective of what your feet are doing.