Day 21: Disrupt Your Day!

Photo by Nature’s Charm/Shutterstock.com

I spent this morning doing what I usually do: Got up, exercised, made breakfast, sat down to work. My feelings had been a little dark this week, and leaning into my routines has always been my go-to for getting back on track. The work was satisfying, as usual. I felt better, but still found myself grumbling a little - about the weather, my hair, whatever.

This afternoon, I did something I’ve never done before. A colleague had invited a group of us to join her for a boat ride on Cheat Lake. Although I’ve lived in this town for fourteen years and her marina was less than six miles from my house, I had to map the route she described because I’d never taken that road that far. In fact, I’d never been to any marina or lakefront bar in Morgantown, had never been on a boat around here. I’d also never done anything social with this group of colleagues.

The sun peeked out from behind some grey clouds just as I arrived at the marina, and soon we’d assembled and set out. As we motored out to the middle of the lake (really a dammed section of the river), the summer foliage looked like a thick green curtain draped over the hills rising on either side of us. The weather was milder than it had been most of the summer, alternating between sun and a few sprinkly clouds. With just three of us along, we chatted amiably together, sipping bubbly drinks, snacking on chips and a peppery dip.

As I drove back into town, I realized I was elated. Not just better but GREAT. I had figured the outing would be pleasant, but this level of well-being was a reward I hadn’t expected. What was this all about?

Turns out, the neuroscience predicts what I was feeling, with several possible interactive causes.

It’s Easy Being Green

Studies have shown that spending time outdoors increases grey matter in the right dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is positively associated with cognitive control. Also, many psychiatric disorders a characterized by a lack of grey matter in the prefrontal cortex. So getting outside may lower depression and give you greater feelings of self-regulation. Interestingly, researchers even controlled for other factors that might influence these effects, like increased exposure to sunlight or increased exercise, and still found that getting outdoors had an impact on well-being.

A Change Will Do You Good

There’s also evidence that curiosity - seeking out new situations - is associated with increased well-being and lower depression. You’ve probably noticed that the more positive you feel the more open you are to new situations, and vice versa. While the effect isn’t well understood, behavioral factors suggest that the causation may also run the other way - the more curious we are, the better we feel, as positive emotions may build greater resources for well-being.

You’ve Got a Friend

Spending time in supportive social interactions may also positively influence brain function and enhance well-being. For example, in one study, women who held the hands of their partners experienced less activation in the anterior insula and ventral anterior singulate cortex - key threat centers in the brain - compared to women who held the hand of a stranger or were alone.

putting it together

Of course, your grandmother probably told you all this - go outside, take a break, call a friend. But modern life has us wired for productivity, wired for indoor work, and just generally wired. Since we thrive on habit to reduce decision fatigue and build executive functioning skills, it can become the easiest thing in the world to give Grandma’s advice the back of the hand when your facing deadlines or feeling grumbly.

But the science suggests that we all need a little disruption, and on a pretty regular basis, to keep coming back to new connections, fresh insights, and greater happiness.