Attention in Urban and Natural Environments

With advances in technology and increases in global urbanization, the complexity of our sensory environment has increased dramatically in the last few hundred years. However, our brains have remained essentially unchanged. The cognitive resources that support complex goal-directed behaviors operate differently in urban versus natural environments. In this short perspective, we consider how the attention system, designed for interacting with nature, is taxed by urban environments and discuss how exposure to nature may support its rejuvenation.