A visitor strolls through a garden filled with blooming yellow cosmos at Shinhwa World in Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo, Jeju, on July 28.YONHAP
Choi Hoon The author is a professor of psychology at Hallym University.
A deadline is approaching, but my thoughts have ground to a halt. At times like this, I go outside and simply start walking. As I walk, my head seems to clear, and before long, ideas begin to surface. A problem that seemed immovable at my desk can suddenly look different once my feet are moving, as if motion has loosened the mind as well.
Many readers have probably had similar experiences. Walking is almost like a tonic for cognitive ability. A recent meta-analysis of 23 studies found that walking improved creative thinking. It also helps memory. In an experiment involving 120 older adults, regular walking increased the volume of the hippocampus, a brain region important for memory, while also improving memory performance. Similarly, people who took more steps on average each day were found to have a lower incidence of dementia. There is a reason walking is often described as one of the most reliable ways to help prevent dementia.
Walking increases blood flow to the brain, supporting cognitive function. When it becomes a habit, it can improve the function of cerebral blood vessels and help keep brain regions involved in memory and thinking healthy. Good cognitive ability, then, does not come from training the brain alone. It also comes from a healthy life that keeps the body moving.
But does walking on a treadmill count? Some research suggests that walking in nature may be better for improving mood and restoring attention. Still, as long as you walk at a moderate intensity, the cognitive benefits appear to be there whether you are on a treadmill or a walking trail.
During summer vacation, I tell my children, who have become rather lazy, to go outside and walk. They insist on walking while looking at their phones. In fact, there is not much research showing that phone use directly reduces the cognitive benefits of walking. But given evidence that digital devices can interfere with attention restoration, it seems wiser to put the phone away while walking.
The breeze has become noticeably cooler since Ipchu, the traditional start of autumn on the Korean calendar. It is time to stop blaming the weather and get outside for a walk. We often say that when the mind fails, the body suffers. Perhaps we should reverse that thought: Move the body, and the mind may work better too.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
