中文导读

现代生活嘈杂、屏幕很多，很多人在努力集中注意力时会感到疲惫。心理学家称之为“定向注意疲劳”。注意恢复理论认为，自然有助于大脑恢复。2026年11月初，华盛顿大学圣路易斯分校分享了新证据：住在更靠近绿地的孩子，注意力表现与结晶智力（与习得知识和学业成就相关）往往更好。阅读时可关注 attention、restore、environment、pollution、association 等词，并区分“相关”与“因果证明”。

正文

Modern life is noisy and full of screens. Many people feel tired when they try hard to focus. Psychologists call this directed attention fatigue. Attention Restoration Theory says that nature may help the mind recover. In early November 2026, Washington University in St. Louis shared new evidence for that idea. The study, led by Carina Fowler and published in Environment International, asked whether children who live near greener places pay attention better and do better on school-related tests.

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现代生活嘈杂且充满屏幕。许多人在努力集中注意力时会感到疲惫。心理学家称之为定向注意疲劳。注意恢复理论认为，自然可能帮助大脑恢复。2026年11月初，华盛顿大学圣路易斯分校分享了支持这一观点的新证据。由 Carina Fowler 牵头、发表于《环境国际》的研究询问：住在更靠近绿地的孩子，是否更能按需集中注意力，并在与学校相关的测试中表现更好。

The team used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, which follows roughly 12,000 American children. The children in this analysis were about ten years old on average. Each child completed performance tests of directed attention and crystallized intelligence, a measure linked to learned knowledge and school achievement. The researchers also measured green space around each child’s home. Their metric was the average of tree canopy cover and park cover in the local census tract. That choice mattered: not every patch of grass counted as helpful green space.

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研究团队使用了青少年大脑认知发展研究的数据，该研究追踪约12,000名美国儿童。本次分析中的儿童平均约十岁。每名儿童完成了定向注意与结晶智力的表现测试；结晶智力与习得知识及学业成就相关。研究者还测量了每名儿童住所周围的绿地。指标是当地普查区树木冠层覆盖与公园覆盖的平均值。这一选择很重要：并非每片草地都算作有益绿地。

After statistical controls, greener neighborhoods were linked to stronger attention scores and higher crystallized intelligence. The models adjusted for area deprivation, sex, ADHD diagnosis, stimulant medicine use, sleep problems, perceived safety, media use, prenatal tobacco exposure, air pollution, and physical activity. Even with those factors included, the green-space link remained. The researchers reported that each ten-percentage-point rise in their green-space measure was associated with about a 0.76-point gain in directed attention when all covariates were in the model.

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在统计控制之后，更绿的街区与更强的注意力得分和更高的结晶智力相关。模型调整了地区剥夺指数、性别、ADHD诊断、兴奋剂类药物使用、睡眠问题、感知安全、媒体使用、产前烟草暴露、空气污染和身体活动。即便纳入这些因素，绿地关联仍然存在。研究者报告，在纳入全部协变量的模型中，绿地指标每升高十个百分点，定向注意约提高0.76分。

Why might parks and trees help? Some people guess that children simply move more outdoors. In this study, physical activity did not explain the pattern. Air quality did play a partial role. Fine particle pollution, known as PM2.5, partly mediated the associations with both attention and crystallized intelligence. Cleaner air near trees and parks may therefore be one pathway, though not the whole story. Fowler also noted that nature can gently hold attention while still letting the mind wander, a mix that may restore focus better than a silent empty room.

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公园和树木为何可能有帮助？有人猜测孩子只是在户外活动更多。本研究中，身体活动并不能解释这一模式。空气质量起到了部分作用。细颗粒物污染（PM2.5）部分中介了与注意力和结晶智力的关联。因此，树木和公园附近更清洁的空气可能是一条路径，但并非全部故事。Fowler还指出，自然可以温和地抓住注意，同时仍让思绪游走，这种组合或许比安静空房间更能恢复专注。

The findings are cross-sectional, so they show association rather than proof that planting trees causes better grades. Families who live in greener areas may differ in many unmeasured ways. Still, the large sample and careful controls add weight to Attention Restoration Theory for middle childhood. For cities and schools, the practical message is modest but clear: access to real tree canopy and parks may support children’s ability to focus when it is needed.

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这些发现是横断面的，因此显示的是关联，而非证明种树就能提高成绩。住在更绿地区的家庭可能在许多未测量方面不同。不过，大样本与仔细控制为童年中期的注意恢复理论增添了分量。对城市与学校而言，实际信息谦逊但清晰：获得真正的树冠与公园，或许能支持孩子在需要时集中注意力。

新闻来源

• Washington University in St. Louis · To restore attention, reach out to nature (2 Nov 2026)
• Environment International · Green space is associated with better directed attention and higher crystallized intelligence in middle childhood: Evidence from the ABCD study (Vol. 215, 2026, 110502)
• Newswise · To Restore Attention, Reach Out to Nature (5 Nov 2026)

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