Natural and green environments improve the memory of children
The benefits of caring for the environment they are indisputable, and there are more and more studies that remind us of small and big "favors" that the environment makes to children and adults. Thus, it has just been shown that growing up and studying surrounded by natural and green environments improves cognitive and memory skills of children, as well as
According to new research developed in Spain, children who are more exposed to green and natural areas have better cognitive abilities when they are subjected to exams in this regard, showing that the green spaces surrounding the schools are also very important in this regard.
Their data show, for example, that in educational centers with more green areas 10% less attention problems are detected among the students, explains Dr. Jordi Sunyer, principal author of the study and co-director of the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), in Barcelona.
Research on cognitive abilities of children and nature
The study has shown that children who are in schools surrounded by nature have better cognitive abilities: more than five percent more than those who lived and studied in 'urban forests', that is, far from natural and green spaces. "This is the first time that such an association has been demonstrated in the world," said another of the researchers involved in the work, Mark Nieuwenhisen.
The study lasted more than four years: during this time, researchers have conducted tests every three months to more than 2,500 children between seven and 10 years of several primary schools in Barcelona. At the same time, through green space, green spaces inside and outside schools have been measured.
"We have shown that with green areas cognitive development improves by 5%, a very significant percentage," says the researcher, which qualifies that the highest scores have been given in mental capacity (speed) to process information, both simple and complex . Likewise, the authors have also observed a reduction in the lack of attention, something that occurs "regardless of the ethnic group, the education of the mother and the employment of the parents".
The study, published in the magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) ensures that a part of this influence of nature is explained because it reduces the air pollution related to traffic, something that is related to another investigation of these same authors that ensured the relationship between pollution and the cognitive level.
The team, with researchers from the University of California (USA) and other European institutions, points to a possible culprit of this link: the black carbon, very fine particles generated mainly in the combustion of the engines of cars. This contamination can influence the maturation of the brain and the mental development of children, something that the trees counteract.
The benefits of green spaces
This type of work reminds us again of the importance of nature in our life. As Nieuwenhuijsen himself explains, green spaces encourage "physical activity, promote social contact, help reduce stress ... when you look at a park, the brain relaxes and this influences him".
This same author assures that the green areas also influence the behavior of children: help them share more. Be that as it may, there is no doubt that parks can help society in many ways: from reducing cardiovascular mortality to improving mental health or reducing stress, passing, of course, through the observed improvement in the intellect of children.
With this work, researchers encourage city authorities to introduce more trees in the cities, especially in those that have high levels of pollution and urbanization, which makes the expansion of green spaces more necessary than ever. "Our conclusion is that we have to create more green areas within and around schools," concludes Sunyer.
Angela R. Bonachera
