The Benefits of Walking
I remember getting ready to meet with a graduate who was preparing for the February bar exam a few months ago. She was studying in one of the campus classrooms. As I peered through the window in the classroom door, I saw that she was pacing back and forth as she was reviewing flash cards and other notes.
Fast forward from that day, she’s now a licensed attorney. But let’s focus on that day with the graduate pacing back and forth.
According to studies conducted at the University of Texas' School of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, engaging in creative activities can improve the strength of neural pathways to the hippocampus which in turn creates strong pathways to memories.
Also, walking—or more specifically, spatial navigation, like simply pacing back and forth in a classroom like the graduate did—boosts creativity.
Using transitive property, since walking improves creativity and creativity improves memory, walking therefore improves memory.
Neuroscientist Shane O’Mara writes about the history and benefits of walking in his book, In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration.
O’Mara gives the example of Irish mathematician Sir William Rowan Hamilton who, in 1843, was working in the field of complex numbers. But he was stuck.
Fortunately, however, Hamilton had the habit of taking long, two-hour walks every day, strolling to work in the center of Dublin. It was during one of his walks that he developed a mathematical formula that is still fundamental to the study of complex numbers in three-dimensional space.
These days, mathematicians hold a “Hamilton walk” on October 16 every year to commemorate his breakthrough. His work is considered significant for the development of quantum mechanics. So, you could say, he even contributed to the storyline in Avengers: Endgame!
And it’s all because of walking.
One of the key messages that O’Mara puts forth in In Praise of Walking is that walking boosts creativity.
O'Mara provides examples of how walking has inspired all sorts of creativity. “The moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow,” said Henry David Thoreau. William Wordsworth’s poem “Tintern Abbey” was written during a long walk, as well. “Only thoughts reached by walking have value,” was how Friedrich Nietzsche put it.
But why does walking have this effect?
Your brain has two modes: an active mode and a default mode. When your brain is in active mode, it’s focusing on a specific task, like watching lecture videos, reviewing outlines, memorizing blackletter law, answering multiple-choice questions, and completing essays.
In default mode, your mind is free to wander, exploring and processing memories. That’s not as frivolous as it sounds. Think about default mode as your opportunity to digest, reflect, process, and consider how the rules of law connect and fit together, how they must sequentially and systematically be examined in multiple-choice questions, and even how they must be articulated in essay questions.
Evidence suggests that creativity occurs when the active mode and default mode of thinking occur simultaneously. Walking is a great way to encourage the brain to do exactly that. In fact, researchers have shown that the brain’s ability to store memories improves after just 10 minutes of walking. Walking stimulates the part of the brain around the hippocampus, which is also the part of the brain that’s active in memory.
And that’s what the graduate was doing—by reviewing flash cards and notes while moving around in the classroom. Whether the graduate consciously knew it, she was fully taking advantage of the two modes to maximize her retention and understanding of the exam material.
Of course, there are other benefits to walking. Research shows that, with our minds in motion, our mood improves, and stress levels fall. And, historically, as O’Mara points out in In Praise of Walking, walking together increases engagement, grows communities, and develops a sense of shared purpose.
As you prepare for the bar exam this summer, consider incorporating walking into your daily schedule.
