Does Nature Make Us More Intelligent?
Utilising Your Outdoor Intelligence
We’ve all been there. You spend hours sitting behind your desk trying to think up the perfect
idea or solution with no success, but soon as you’re switched off, enjoying your weekend
surfing in the ocean, walking through forests or simply taking a run in the local park, your
brain is fired up and you’re suddenly flooded with ideas. But why does Mother Nature always
deliver so much inspiration…especially when you’re a pen and paper short?
Studies show that exposure to nature not only reduces stress levels, and improves mental
wellbeing, but also leads to ‘expansive thinking’, resulting in innovative and creative ideas.
Scientists also believe that the state of ‘soft fascination’ in which you can find yourself when
on a hike in the mountains or swimming in the sea calms the prefrontal cortex of the brain,
allowing it to access other regions that can lead to new insights and different perspectives.
David Strayer, of the University of Utah says that although people have long been discussing
their positive experiences in nature, we’re now seeing changes in the brain and body that
suggest we are physically and mentally healthier when interacting with nature, leading to an
increase in creativity.
To discuss this topic in more depth, we’re delighted to welcome speaker Fi Macmillan to the
Blue Earth Summit. Fi leads development through the connection with living things and is an
expert on utilising outdoor intelligence within the workplace. Fi will be hosting two workshops
based around firing up your imagination in nature and leaping into action to implement new
ideas.
Workshop 1 – Fire Your Imagination
Find out how and why you come up with more ideas, make better decisions and increase
focus when you step into nature. Working with the key steps of outdoor intelligence, take a
walk to solve current challenges, generate new ideas, surf the wave of group inspiration.
Discover how to take game-changing thinking back to work.
Workshop 2 – Leap Into Action
Our ancestors listened to the living world for guidance. Be a modern day changemaker by
taking a walk to discover your ‘leap project’. This leap is the one thing that you’ll do over the
next 12 months to make a big difference. Learn how to connect with the living world when
you step out to have a bigger conversation with yourself, your colleagues and the living
world. Sign up if you want to plan your impact from a bigger place.
