This place is so big and so massive that my brain can't understand the scale and the size.
10 years ago I was driving across the country and I had this magical idea of what that trip
was going to be like.
I was going to stop at all these sights and do historic route 66 - it was going to be
awesome!
It ended up being nothing like that.
I was rushing to get from one end of the country to another.
Didn't have time to see all the sights I wanted to.
And my biggest regret was not seeing the Grand Canyon.
So here I am - now back in Arizona.
I'm here for a psychology conference.
I was down in Tucson.
I told everyone I'm going to be gone for a couple of days so I can drive up and see the
Grand Canyon.
I didn't want to miss it again.
That's the thing about regret.
When your reality is very close to this imagined thing that you want to see happen and you
don't do it you regret it even more.
That's why I spent hours driving hundreds of miles so I could come here and see the
Canyon.
So this got me thinking why do so many people all over the world travel so far to experience
nature?
Biologist Edward Wilson said it's because we have a biophilia.
A love of life.
Love of nature and animals and it's hard wired into us.
Because we evolved out here, we have a nature love of it, and affinity for it, we want to
be out here.
There does seem to be something about nature that's hard wired into us.
People just seem to do better after they've had some exposure to nature.
Your cognitive abilities are actually better after exposure to the outdoors.
Kids preform better after spending time in recesses outdoors.
Here's the more interesting thing - people after surgery and after some type of major
medical procedure tend to recover better if they have a window that exposes them to the
outdoors.
It doesn't even have to be real.
Just seeing a photograph of the outdoors versus a photograph of an urban environment leads
people to recover faster and better from surgeries.
So what is it about nature that helps us to think more clearly, feel more calm, and act
in such a peaceful way?
Part of it is the peace and quiet - you don't have all the sounds, the sirens, the noises
you usually have in the city.
If you work in an open office or live in New York City like I do, you know how much those
little sounds can be so distracting and take you away from whatever it is that you're trying
to do.
Nature also serves a restorative function.
When you're in nature you're not really focused on any one thing.
And like I talked about in my multitasking episode it takes a lot of energy for your
mind to focus on one idea at one time.
In nature your mind naturally wanders.
Ideas bounce around as you're taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and experiences that
are out here.
Unfortunately, we're not spending as much time outdoors as we used to.
We're spending more and more of it at home, with our screens.
I think that's one reason why it's hard for a lot of people to be outdoors.
And they're not really sure what to do and how to stay safe.
And others might have allergies or health conditions that make it hard to be outside.
But you don't have to come all the way here to get the restorative benefits of nature.
You can just go to your backyard, your neighborhood park, go for a hike nearby your home.
Being out here in the Grand Canyon makes me feel so small in comparison to this massive
place.
But I'm also reminded of how special it is that we as humans exist.
Maybe that's why we love nature - it reminds us of how amazing life is.
How do you experience nature in your day to day life?
Let me know in the comments below.
I'm @alimattu on social media.
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This vista point reminds me of the Millennium Falcon.