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Now at least I can blame my absent-mindedness on something other than my years following Phish.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/01/04/how_the_city_hurts_your_brain/
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion
Urban living is destroying my brain
[30 posts] [18 contributors]
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lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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At least in the city I can walk or ride my bike just about every where, which will do wonders for my overall health.
:)
Posted 3 years ago # -
Manatee
The eternal present
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It's true. I hate the city and will be leaving as soon as I can.
Just 20 minutes outdoors in an open, wooded, unfettered area, with no people all over the goddamned place, makes me feel like a new woman. The problem is, I have to drive 20 minutes to get to one.
I should have married that one rich guy :D
Posted 3 years ago # -
chrisgillespie
Short North/Victorian Village
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My opinion is that this lack of nature does not so much apply to us living in VV/IV/the Short North (at least not comparitively to almost anywhere else). This area is MUCH greener than new suburbs around Polaris. We have 100+ year old trees and gardens abound. My backyard is a certified wildlife habitat, and I just had a hawk sitting on my patio railing this morning (he comes to occasionally eat the other birds in the yard). Goodale Park has a very large variety of trees, especially given the size of the park.
This area is also MUCH greener than farmland. We had 24 acres in Union county that was rented to a farmer that we sold a couple of years ago (originally, we thought we'd start a CSA, but decided we're getting too old for the work). Carl has family in farming areas. These areas are not diverse, very flat and plain, with a few borders of trees and thicket, but really not feeling as green as my yard and our neighborhood.
I think this neighborhood is amazingly green and diverse. Yes, there are still distractions from so much going on when I walk High Street, but I can quickly recover much just sitting in my own backyard or the park. It's not Highlands, but we can't all live down there, and we get the benefits of walking to so many fabulous activities. I'll visit places like Highlands (or more often for me, the places in Missouri), but I wouldn't prefer to live anywhere else but where I live now in Victorian Village.
Posted 3 years ago # -
chrisgillespie
Short North/Victorian Village
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SJT
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Walker wrote >>
So the brain was not meant for thinking i guess? Hrm.I think the article is saying that we need a delicate balance of both. I find research like this totally fascinating. I've had conversations with a close friend discussing these very issues. I recently moved to a spot along the Scioto& take advantage of walking along it as much as possible. There is definiely a different/calm/peaceful feeling I have that I haven't felt in years (or ever maybe). I thought I was just getting old :))!!! I relate to the whole "not wanting things" as much. They mentioned food/ shoes& other unneccesary things that bombard us when we are walking in a city. They didn't mention booze however. I'm sure there is a link. I know I drink WAY less now (again bc age??). It helps that I can't just walk a hundred paces& hit two or three bars, but maybe I just don't WANT it as much bc I'm more at peace& don't need the drink in order to relax??? Who knows. I think they are onto something though!
My brain doesn't get too bored though bc I have the advantage of going into a work environment 3+ days a week that is VERY urban. I do love my interaction with open-minded people nightly. I also love that while I always see my regulars, there are plenty of new people weekly to engage with as well. Stimulation of thoughts without overload/ exhaustion must be the key..???
Posted 3 years ago # -
ratzo
someplace with WiFi
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I think there's definitely something to this theory. Part of the reason why I moved out of NYC was because the very experience of living and walking around Manhattan was starting to become more and more irritating. I'd get antsy for no reason whenever people walked past me, and being surrounded by skyscrapers everywhere felt slightly claustrophobic. Here I feel like there's room to breathe, and I don't get quite so anxious from walking down the street. Granted, New York is an extreme case. Maybe it was a post 9-11 thing? I dunno... Still, Boston's definitely a closer parallel to New York than to Columbus.
Posted 3 years ago # -
thepiece
merion village
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Interesting article.
I think a great thing about Columbus is the fact that we have such easy access to green space in the core neighborhoods of the city.
Even my small little merion village yard, provides me space to mentally rejuvinate when i don't have time to go to Schiller or a metro park.Posted 3 years ago # -
joev
Merion Village
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I find myself taking a longer path through the long side of Schiller Park on my walk to work (downtown) and home (Merion Village.) Maybe this is why. It's a nice "decompression zone," that helps me make that transition between home and work and arrive at either place refreshed rather than stressed about the things I left behind.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Manatee
The eternal present
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I do enjoy the parks here, man do I ever. But I still need more space than that. Or maybe it's less people. I need spaces where every single thing in sight wasn't consciously designed by a human being. Whatever. To each their own. There are most certainly people who thrive best in urban areas, I'm just not one of them ;)
Posted 3 years ago # -
bobrich
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chrisgillespie wrote >>
This area is also MUCH greener than farmland. We had 24 acres in Union county that was rented to a farmer that we sold a couple of years ago.'Farmland' isn't terribly green, but Union County still has lots of green to offer. This pick from the first page is my new yard.
Posted 3 years ago # -
misskitty
Columbus
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yea farm land may not be great for " green" but my plain is to have a house in the woods with a some yard space enough to play and have a Garden! that’s all sorts of Great :D The Total we are looking for is about 12 acres. I would like to be able to do many things on the land.
Posted 3 years ago # -
chrisgillespie
Short North/Victorian Village
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misskitty wrote >>
yea farm land may not be great for " green" but my plain is to have a house in the woods with a some yard space enough to play and have a Garden! that’s all sorts of Great :D The Total we are looking for is about 12 acres. I would like to be able to do many things on the land.Yeah. We toyed around with that notion. The older I get, the more it kicks my butt just to garden in my urban yard, but if you do this while young, you could make a real go of it. This I have LOTS of books about. Carl had the Salt Book and the whole Foxfire series. I liked the CSA idea for a long time before we got together. We have info on building solar homes and what not. We have friends in Georgia (old college roommate of Carl's) that have several hundred acres - mostly for wood, but that garden and hunt on their land (although they are employed in regular jobs in Athens). We visit them. I wonder when the work will be too much. And, I find I like more action: live music, dancing, dinner parties. Living so far apart from neighbors, they tend to cocoon more than we do. I need to interact with more people to feel energized, myself. Different strokes...
My point, tho, was urban is not as "ungreen" as maybe the downtown areas, and is even green relative to many suburbs and farmland. I think there is a mistaken belief that urban isn't as green as suburbs, but that idea is a century old, and doesn't ring true anymore (except for city centers with High Rises).
Posted 3 years ago #
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