Not Really News: Cities Manufacture Morons

The Globe has finally confirmed something we've long suspected: the city makes you stupid. Researchers like Marc Berman of the University of Michigan (whose page we encourage you to visit for a special surprise) have verified that the metropolis mangles minds:

Just being in an urban environment, [scientists] have found, impairs our basic mental processes. After spending a few minutes on a crowded city street, the brain is less able to hold things in memory, and suffers from reduced self-control.

Not only does the urban bustle negatively affect cognition, but cities also lack that all-important mental palliative: nature. Sure, there's the Common, and tree-lined streets, but it's all too easy to forego the natural world when you live in a concrete—or even virtual—one. Fortunately, researchers like Stephen Kaplan have found that even small doses of nature, like seeing trees or a grassy patch (good luck with the latter in snowy winter) from your window can help your gray matter muster up the attention to complete its tasks.

And the city doesn't just make us dumb, it also makes us fat:

Related research has demonstrated that increased "cognitive load"--like the mental demands of being in a city--makes people more likely to choose chocolate cake instead of fruit salad, or indulge in a unhealthy snack.

Now that the majority of people live in cities, are we all doomed to become fat and stupid? Let's hope that urban planners researching the best ways to incorporate nature into cityscapes can succeed. Boston is fortunate to already have the Common, the Emerald Necklace, the Kennedy Greenway, the Minuteman Bikeway (which sometimes gets mixed reviews), and other ways to interact with the natural world. Particularly in the middle of winter, it can feel difficult to get outside, but the studies suggest it helps us think better. Take breaks, take walks, look at trees. Don't be a Ginger Brown—notice some nature. It might not help, but it's still worth a try.

The city has a negative effect on some brain functions, but it also makes interaction easier. The Globe points out that "recent research by scientists at the Santa Fe Institute used a set of complex mathematical algorithms to demonstrate that the very same urban features that trigger lapses in attention and memory--the crowded streets, the crushing density of people--also correlate with measures of innovation, as strangers interact with one another in unpredictable ways." The city may make you dumb, but it also makes you more likely to bump into others who might help you think a little better. So walk around with your head up and your eyes open—you might just see something or meet someone that'll help you break out of the urban brain bust.

Autumn Common trees photographed by bettlebrox