Proof! Rafting is good for your brain!
Posted August 18, 2010 by Malina
I love it when academia backs up the gospel we preach! A recent NY Times article tells the tale of a group of bespecled professors setting aside their blackberries, cell phones, and iPads, and setting off for a multi-day raft trip on the San Juan river. Experts in brain function and memory, they set out to discuss–and directly experience–the varying effects of technology, multi-tasking, and constant stimulation on our minds, contrasted with a retreat into nature.
I heartily recommend closing your other web apps, setting down your smart phone, and
reading the whole article soup-to-nuts, but if you just want to jump to the end: Surprize! The chance to genuinely decompress, unplug, and tune into nature and other human beings in an environment free from technological invasions is beneficial! It’s fun! And restorative! It helps you think more clearly, creatively and efficiantly! So we have proof: rafting is good for you.
All of which begs the question…… what am I doing sitting at this computer?! I work for a rafting company after all…….time to pull a string or two, and get myself on a river trip.
(Above: These lovely ladies seem to be doing just fine without their cell phones, thanks very much! Below: Ah nature, layers of loveliness!)