Touch Grass (Seriously): How Getting Fresh Air Can Improve Academic Success Rates

By: Alexia Roberts

Spring semester GPA a bit lower than you want it to be? Studies have shown that getting a bit of fresh air–whether that be opening a window or sitting on the lawn while doing your work–can not only give your mental health a boost, but your academic scores could see a shift as well.

Open Your Window

It’s quite common for students today to sit for hours on end in front of a brightly lit LED screen, in a dimly lit room. According to Harvard’s School of Mental Health, simply getting better ventilation by opening your window for short increments of time could be beneficial in increasing attention span, lowering stress rates, and boosting overall motivation. A research study titled “Better Air = Better Brains” published by Upstate Medical University indicates that those who work in indoor office spaces with good ventilation of carbon dioxide and oxygen levels did significantly better on functional and cognitive tests, the same going for school settings. The reasoning for this is that when CO2 levels rise without proper ventilation, people can become sleepy and in turn, less motivated to do their work. With the upcoming season change, now could be a good time to open that window and test it out for yourself.

Study Outside

If you want to take it one step further, try taking your materials outside and doing work there. Remember in elementary school when your teacher announced that class would be held outside and it quickly became the best day ever? Well, there’s actually science to back that feeling. In a 2019 study, author Kathryn Schertz wrote that “perceiving the low-level features of the environment can influence complex cognitive and self-regulatory processes, such as thought content and the propensity to cheat”. Just being exposed to nature and natural green surroundings can allow you to think more clearly and be less likely to seek information elsewhere. Maybe it’s worth studying outside for midterms!

On A Serious Note

Mental health struggles in academic settings is a very real thing. According to the NIH, between 30-40% of college students suffer from depression, anxiety, or a mix of both. It is important to make sure you are taking care of yourself, even if that looks as small as stepping outside for ten minutes a day. The National Library of Medicine says “nearby nature is associated with quantifiable mental health benefits, with the potential for lowering the physical and financial costs related to poor mental health”. Getting fresh air may seem silly, but for struggling college students–it could prove to be immensely overlooked.