The Science of Restorative Breaks

Dear reader, your brain is working hard right now as you read this. Let’s make sure it’s worth your attention.

Notice I said "attention" and not "time"? Have you ever considered that your attention is as valuable a resource as your time? And just like the number of hours in a day, your capacity to pay attention is limited. In this article, we’ll explore why our brains get tired and how we can reboot them effectively.

Bent Run waterfall in Warren, PA. A small waterfall gradually cascades down large mossy boulders in a shady forest. — Bent Run waterfall in Warren, PA. Photo by Rachel Schad.

Caveman Brains in a Modern World

Our brains are incredibly sophisticated, but they haven’t changed much since early human history.

Imagine living as an early human. The stimuli competing for your attention were limited. But, today, in our interconnected world, researchers speculate that we absorb and process as much data in a week as prehistoric people did in their entire lifetimes. No wonder our brains get tired!

Why Our Brains Get Tired

Our brains have two systems for paying attention, but only one of them gets tired. That’s our top-down attention. We use this system to complete tasks that require effort like reading, solving problems, or designing something. When this type of attention is pushed to its limit, we feel mentally fatigued.

Mental fatigue can look like feeling distracted, stressed, overwhelmed, irritable, or unmotivated. Conventional wisdom tells us that we should push through this exhaustion, but research on attention shows that when we do, our effectiveness declines, and we’re more prone to make mistakes and use poor judgment. In addition, living with depleted attention can negatively impact our relationships, because mood, stress, and attention are interconnected and affect every aspect of our lives.

view of some sunflowers growing in a tree lawn and leaning onto the sidewalk on a residential street in Cleveland, Ohio — Sunflowers brighten up a tree-lawn in Cleveland, OH. Photo by Rachel Schad.

The Best Breaks to Recharge

Taking a break is the best way to restore mental focus, but some types of breaks are more beneficial than others. Interestingly, the best way to restore our top-down attention is by using our other attention mode.

We call the second type bottom-up attention. Our brains use it when we admire a scenic view, listen to music, or savor the smell of fresh-baked bread. It’s an automatic, effortless form of attention.

Attention Restoration Theory

reDirect has a special connection to the topic of attention. Our founders, Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, were environmental psychologists at the University of Michigan where they developed Attention Restoration Theory (ART) after years of research. The theory proposes that spending time in nature or engaging in activities that offer “soft fascination” is the best way to restore our attention.

When we talk about "soft fascination," we refer to the gentle, engaging qualities of nature that draw our attention without overwhelming us—like a calm stream, rustling leaves, or birds chirping. These sights and sounds capture our interest but don’t require intense concentration, allowing our minds to wander and relax.

Amazingly, this type of break seems to do more than recharge our focus. When our brains have space to wander, they can make connections in the background without us even trying. That’s why people often have great ideas in the shower or suddenly find a solution to a problem after taking a walk outside.

Step Away from Your Phone

Science continues to reveal the mechanics of how attention restoration works in the brain, including one recent study which discovered that using screens in green spaces cancels out any restorative benefit they have for our brains.

In a recent study, scientists tested how well people could focus before and after short breaks in two different urban environments: lush green spaces and urban spaces without any plants. Participants were asked to either use their electronic devices as they usually would or to take a break without screens.

The results were stunning. Participants who enjoyed screen-free breaks in a green setting performed significantly better on tests of attention. In contrast, participants who used devices in nature were indistinguishable from the two groups who took breaks in barren spaces —in terms of their ability to pay attention, it looked like they hadn’t taken a break at all.

Balcony herb garden. Photo by Rachel Schad.

When to Take a Break

So how often do we need to recharge our focus? On average, humans can maintain concentrated focus on a task for about 20 minutes, but each person is unique. It’s best to take a break before you start feeling mentally fatigued, as your circumstances allow.

On the other hand, we don’t need to take a break when we are “in the zone,” meaning when our focus is naturally sustained because we are captivated by whatever we are doing. We can enjoy the flow state and take time to rest and reset when our attention fades.

Prevent Mental Fatigue

We should also be proactive and avoid spending our limited top-down attention on the wrong thing at the wrong time. One way we can do this is by limiting distractions.

Our electronic devices can be major sources of distraction, whether breaking our focus with notifications or tempting our focus away from the task at hand. Try silencing your phone and moving it out of sight when you don’t need it.

Perhaps interruptions from coworkers or family are using up a lot of your attention. Try scheduling some uninterrupted time for deep focus.

Figure Out What Works for You 

Breaks are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Experiment with different types to discover what works well for you. Use the questions below to get you started, or get inspired by ideas in this downloadable “Menu of Breaks” resource. Remember to take notes! Keep track of what you did and how it turned out (or in other words, try some small experiments).

Questions to consider:

Can you recognize when your brain needs a break? What do you notice?
What types of breaks work well for you?
How do you feel after a quality (screen-free) break?
What is one small action you could take to better support your mental bandwidth?
What are the main distractions in your workspace? What’s one change you can test out to reduce their impact?

More On Breaks

If you’d like to learn more about creating workplaces that support breaks, check out our companion posts below!

Supporting Mental Bandwidth: Break Culture in Workplaces

Micro-Breaks for the Busiest of Times

Learn More About ART

To learn more about Attention Restoration Theory, check out these references. If you have any trouble accessing the journal articles, just email us and we can share the pdf with you directly.