Creative Reaction

I came across this really interesting article on Boston.com today, entitled, How the city hurts your brain …And what you can do about it. Recent research is showing that the hustle and bustle of the city – traffic, retail signage, noise, crowds, people talking on cell phones and especially navigating (on foot) through all of the above - essentially overwhelms the brain, leaving little processing power for much else.

“While the modern city might be a haven for playwrights, poets, and physicists, it’s also a deeply unnatural and overwhelming place.”

“Scientists have begun to examine how the city affects the brain, and the results are chastening. Just being in an urban environment, they have found, impairs our basic mental processes. After spending a few minutes on a crowded city street, the brain is less able to hold things in memory, and suffers from reduced self-control.”

The cure for this urban-induced mental blight is nature, even in small amounts. Trees, plants, gardens and parks can have a significant, positive counter-effect. “Natural settings, in contrast, don’t require the same amount of cognitive effort.”

“While people have searched high and low for ways to improve cognitive performance, from doping themselves with Red Bull to redesigning the layout of offices, it appears that few of these treatments are as effective as simply taking a walk in a natural place.”

There are a number of considerations here for managers/owners of creative businesses, all of which affect attitude and creativity:

• Where are our businesses located?
• Should we consider relocating once our leases are up for renewal?
• Can we include plants and small trees in our workspace designs?
• Can we design our workspaces in a manner that allows outdoor views of greenery?
• How can we encourage our employees to spend more time outdoors during the workday and over the weekends?

I happen to spend quite a bit of time on Newbury Street in Boston, which is mentioned twice within the article, so I especially need to be aware of the dangers here! Looks like I should spend a little more time a block over on Commonwealth Ave., which has a mall. (The green kind; “a shady public walk or promenade”.)