How side-by-side conversations help
This research looks at how having a conversation side-by-side instead of face-to-face reduces turn taking and utterance overlaps, helping to facilitate a well-rounded conversation and promoting a positive interpersonal experience - something that could help us to have a more honest conversation around our mental wellbeing.
How walking in nature helps us
A recent study in the Netherlands by environmental psychologist Agnes Van Den Berg, indicates that walk and talk coaching in nature improved the symptoms of those experiencing stress-related burnout symptoms. It suggests that getting more natural sunlight and vitamin D boosts our mood, and that we can all benefit from enjoying the freedom of movement in a natural setting.
Body language and conversations
This article looks at psychiatry professor Albert Scheflin’s observations around how and why we orient our bodies based on the types of conversations we have and with whom. If you're someone who can struggle with eye contact, you might be interested to read more about the benefits of framing open and honest conversations in a side-by-side setting.
Why walking is good for us
This article quotes neuroscientist Shane O’Mara’s book ‘In Praise of Walking: The new science of how we walk and why it’s good for us'. As Shane notes, when you stand up and move around, lots of things are going on in the brain that weren’t previously: “ideas that would have been just below the level of consciousness when you’re seated can bubble into consciousness because more of the brain is active…and as your hearing is heightened, you might find you’re a better listener on the move too.”
