THE MOLECULE OF MOREReality is the richest source of the unexpected. Fantasies that we con-
jure in our minds are predictable. We go over the same material again
and again. Once in a while we’ll be struck by an original idea, but it’s
rare, and it usually happens when we’re paying attention to something
else—not when we’re trying to strong-arm our creativity into action.
Paying attention to reality, to what you are actually doing in the
moment, maximizes the flow of information into your brain. It maxi-
mizes dopamine’s ability to make new plans, because to build models
that will accurately predict the future, dopamine needs data, and data
flows from the senses. That’s dopamine and H&N working together.
When something interesting activates the dopamine system, we
snap to attention. If we are able to activate our H&N system by shifting
our focus outward, the increased level of attention makes the sensory
experience more intense. Imagine walking down a street in a foreign
country. Everything is more exciting, even looking at ordinary buildings,
trees, and shops. Because we are in a novel situation, sensory inputs are
more vivid. That’s a large part of the joy of travel. It works in the oppo-
site direction, too. Experiencing H&N sensory stimulation, especially
within a complex environment (sometimes called an enriched environment),
makes the dopaminergic cognitive facilities in our brains work better.
The most complex environments, those that are most enriched, are
usually natural ones.
GO AHEAD AND TAKE A MICROBREAK...Nature is complex. It’s made up of systems with many interacting parts.
Unexpected patterns emerge as a result of a large number of elements
influencing one another. There’s a virtually limitless amount of detail
to explore. We also perceive it as beautiful, inspiring, sometimes calm-
ing, and other times energizing. Dr. Kate Lee and a team of researchers
at the University of Melbourne, Australia, tested the cognitive effects
of a mere 40 seconds of exposure to nature in the form of a picture of
a city building with grass and flowers covering the roof. They compared
it to the effects of a picture of a similar building covered with concrete.