Children and adults find it easier to concentrate and pay attention after spending time in nature

Nancy Wells of the New York State College of Human Ecology at Cornell University has found (as reported in a 2000 study, cited in Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv (2005)) that children’s attention span was much improved when they moved to housing closer to natural, green spaces. A Swedish study of day cares found that children in day cares with a natural play area were able to concentrate better than those in a more urban setting. Concentration and ability to pay attention in adults are also improved by time in nature; for example, Terry Hartig (also cited by Louv) of the Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala University, Sweden has found that walking in a nature preserve was more effective than walking in an urban area or reading magazines and listening to music in improving study participants’ performance on a proof-reading task.

Sources:
Wells, N.M. (2000). At home with nature: Effects of "greenness" on children's cognitive functioning. Environment and Behavior 32: 775-795.
Hartig, T., Mang, M., & Evans, G.W. (1991). Restorative effects of natural environment experiences. Environment and Behavior 23: 3-26.