Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)

newyorker.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 120 posts

Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)

#51

Post by RyanMcGreal »

eagletusk wrote: post #46
kirykl wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps that'd be good for motor neurons. But walking on concrete paths lets your mind focus and think about new ideas without worrying about tripping on something unexpected

I've managed to finish a few 1 hour runs on pavement only during races, but an hour long trail run in in the woods? I'll plan a weekend around it. In Japanese there is the concept, Forest bathing, shinrin-yoku (森林浴).

I love running just about anywhere (except on a treadmill, which is just intolerably drab), but my absolute favourite places to run are on forest trails. There is something indescribably beautiful, spiritual and serene/exhilarating about running through the forest. I feel a profound sense of connection with my human and hominid ancestors going back millions of years. I feel the most human when running through the woods.

Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)

#52

Post by coldtea »

hueving wrote: post #35
coldtea wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It has to be more then just getting blood moving? Why?

Because driving doesn't.

Driving is still being seated and not doing much (even less so with automatic gears). Not a very active, err, activity, so why would it "get the blood moving" that much?

I may state the obvious, but it's about the blood moving inside the body and to the brain and such, not about mere movement of blood, body and all along with the vehicle to some destination.

Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)

#53

Post by jtraffic »

"our brain must survey the surrounding environment, construct a mental map of the world, settle on a way forward"

A colleague in my phd program went on the job market this year with research that is related to this, especially to the connection between writing and walking discussed in the final paragraph.

In a nutshell, his theory and experimental evidence suggest that we use the same cognitive mechanisms to process real maps as we do abstract maps. In particular, he shows that we often have mental "landmarks." He focuses on number lines as maps, and suggests that the round numbers behave like landmarks. He shows that all of the known cognitive signatures of the way we process landmarks on, say, a road-trip are present for these abstract landmarks.

He shows the same thing with textures in the context of anchoring and adjusting (we anchor on an initial texture and use it as a cognitive landmark.)

To me, his theory is extremely compelling and explains a lot. It makes sense that our brains, as our environments have become more complex, have adapted to use spatial cognition to process the abstract.

EDIT: Here is a link to his CV: http://marketingphdjobs.org/sites/default/files/Gaurav%20Jai.... The paper I'm talking about is called "Presence of Numerical Landmarks and Their Effects on Judgments." He hasn't posted it on the web, I'll see if I can get a copy from him and post it (if he's ok with me doing so.)

Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)

#54

Post by walterbell »

dexterdog wrote: post #39
bendavis381 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Audible 2x during any walk or mindless activity means you can easily get through a book a week without any lifestyle changes. Literally has changed me life.

I do all of my podcast from 2-2.4x depending on the speaker. Silence skipping gets it to an effective 3x speed. Most people hear me listening for brief periods and wonder how I understand any of it. It's a progression to get there, but it is totally doable. I'm sure some people can go faster, but I just tell them to go up .1x at a time until it sounds right.

Which podcast app do you recommend?

Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)

#55

Post by iplaw »

Do these benefits translate to other outdoor activities? Jogging, cycling, etc.?

I seem to achieve this sort of mental clarity when I'm on an open-ended recovery ride. Training days, however, are probably too regimented and my focus is solely on hitting and/or exceeding the targets set by my coach.

Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)

#56

Post by bujak »

jtraffic wrote: post #53

"our brain must survey the surrounding environment, construct a mental map of the world, settle on a way forward" A colleague in my phd program went on the job market this year with research that is related to this, especially to the connection between writing and walking discussed in the final paragraph. In a nutshell, his theory and experimental evidence suggest that we use the same cognitive mechanisms to process…

Very intersting, could you point me to his research?

Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)

#57

Post by sandbags »

jtraffic wrote: post #53

"our brain must survey the surrounding environment, construct a mental map of the world, settle on a way forward" A colleague in my phd program went on the job market this year with research that is related to this, especially to the connection between writing and walking discussed in the final paragraph. In a nutshell, his theory and experimental evidence suggest that we use the same cognitive mechanisms to process…

I'd also be interested in reading this.

Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)

#58

Post by neom »

jtraffic wrote: post #53

"our brain must survey the surrounding environment, construct a mental map of the world, settle on a way forward" A colleague in my phd program went on the job market this year with research that is related to this, especially to the connection between writing and walking discussed in the final paragraph. In a nutshell, his theory and experimental evidence suggest that we use the same cognitive mechanisms to process…

this is super interesting to me, in my "research" into dyslexia, I find that folks with very high dyslexic traits also happened to be incredibly spatially aware. Coincidently, they also happened to be excellent artists, often in sculpting.

Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)

#59

Post by H1Supreme »

iplaw wrote: post #55

Do these benefits translate to other outdoor activities? Jogging, cycling, etc.? I seem to achieve this sort of mental clarity when I'm on an open-ended recovery ride. Training days, however, are probably too regimented and my focus is solely on hitting and/or exceeding the targets set by my coach.

I'd say so. A 20 mile ride (and a short nap) is my go-to way to get back into a project I'm stuck on.

Re: Why Walking Helps Us Think (2014)

#60

Post by 24gttghh »

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #23
bootload wrote: post #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…

" The next line about walking being easy tells me you live in a flat area with no obstacles." But it is pretty easy once you get muscle built up and get used to the obstacles. I live in a mountainous area. I climb a fence daily and go over a bit of land with no concrete path - though admittedly everyday walking is on concrete most times. Going out into the countryside doesn't make it any more difficult.

I actually find it more difficult to walk on flat concrete than walking on a trail with rocks and roots and leaves. I weave all over the place because there is nothing to keep my attention to where my feet are being planted.
Post reply on HN