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A walk in nature is better than microdosing

248 points by unifiedtheory 5y ago

chadlavi 5y ago
I'd be willing to test out both to compare
NikolaeVarius 5y ago
Or just take a full dose and take a walk in nature. Much better.
- rob74 5y ago
  Take a full dose. Go outside to take a walk. Get arrested. Now you have bigger problems to think about than improving your mood and focus.
  - speapr 5y ago
    Take a full dose. Go outside to take a walk. Get arrested. Realize in lockdown that all societal control is just an illusion and an ego trip by those who think they need to pretend to exert power, and that nothing can hold down your divine, free essence as a living god.
    - varelse 5y ago
      And wake up in a hospital weeks later realizing you got a bad batch because these drugs aren't legal so there's no quality control and now you're on the fast track to early dementia. Pass.
      - h0l0cube 5y ago
        The worst I've heard of someone on acid is a terrifying 8 hours, but nothing beyond temporary distress, and nothing life threatening. AFAIA its so cheap to make that there's no profit incentive to cut it with anything else
        meetups323 5y ago
        Very possible for it to be contaminated without intent. I have friends who unintentionally consumed PCP-laced acid, ended up running through razor wire, woke up in the hospital.
        olyjohn 5y ago
        That's why you buy one of those drug testing kits. Don't test street drugs from untrusted sources in your body. This was literally the first DDG search result. https://testkitplus.com/product-category/test-kits https://testkitplus.com/product-category/test-kits
        varelse 5y ago
        This is simultaneously everything right and everything wrong with America: an entrepreneurial solution to a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.
        varelse 5y ago
        If you go through the trouble of making your own like Albert Hofmann did, sure. You're not going to though, are you? So you're putting your biggest asset in the hands of criminals of unknown intent. Good luck with that... But I support your right to smoke, snort, or inject whatever you want. I'm getting older now and my brain is starting to slow down so I really appreciate your opting in to annihilating the advantage of youth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann
        h0l0cube 5y ago
        > I really appreciate your opting in to annihilating the advantage of youth. Why do you presume I'm young?
        varelse 5y ago
        My bad: I thought wisdom came with age.
    - imiric 5y ago
      "Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. That we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather."
      - jredwards 5y ago
        Thanks, Bill.
  - 71a54xd 5y ago
    As long as you consumed all the psychs what would they arrest you for? Being too enthralled with the beauty of nature? That said, getting arrested will be the least of your problems if you take a "full" dose and haven't had enough prior experience with psychs.
  - tuxxy 5y ago
    This is an absurd fantasy. If you take psychedelics and go outside, no one is going to arrest you. Consumption of drugs, in most western nations, isn't a crime. Stop spreading this sort of asinine fear.
    - drooogs 5y ago
      it kinda depends. simply being high/tripping is not illegal in most places, but you can still be arrested for public intoxication if you make a scene or just appear very fucked up in the presence of a police officer. they are obligated to detain you if they judge you to be a danger to yourself (often happens with drunks). better hope you don't have any contraband on you if that happens. a lot of people are overconfident in their ability to handle psychedelics. some people really are capable of maintaining a totally serene presence when they're tripping, but many don't realize just how weird they look to sober observers.
  - Broken_Hippo 5y ago
    Only, that's not the case. Granted, I tend to stay at home when taking hallucinogens, but not always - and have been both in cities and closer to nature. The thing you have to remember is: No one pays attention to you. If you have a beer in your hand - or smell like you've been drinking - people do assume that is the case. It isn't like can't act normal, especially if you make sure to walk around after you peak. It isn't like hallucinogens necessarily make you act weird - especially since people will just assume you are weird. Again, people don't really pay attention to you. Just don't do this if it is your first time.
mc32 5y ago
But that means actually “doing” something.
Blahah 5y ago
Clearly both have benefits. If you have access to nature (many people don't) then walking in it is beneficial. Whether or not you have access to nature, microdosing might help.
- omginternets 5y ago
  Walking in a city is also beneficial.
nicoburns 5y ago
> Why is microdosing popular and walks in the park are not? Is there anywhere where this is true? Where I live (London), probably 80% of people go for walks in the park. And I don't think I know anyone who microdoses.
- hanniabu 5y ago
  I'd say because parks/nature is scarce in concrete cities
  - ubercow13 5y ago
    London has lots of nice parks. There was much more greenery around me in London than there is in the ‘leafy’ suburb, elsewhere in the country, that I currently live in.
    - 0xbadcafebee 5y ago
      London is a bit of an outlier. It's high on the list of major cities with the most green space, at about 34%. It has more green space than any city in the UK, and it is the world's largest urban forest at over 8 million trees. By comparison, Los Angeles is the only major US city with as much green space (the next is NYC at 27%), even though the US is 40 times bigger than the UK.
      - gpm 5y ago
        > and it is the world's largest urban forest at over 8 million trees. According to this, Toronto has 10 million, and honestly I'm sort of surprised it's that low... do you have a source for the "largest" claim? https://www.td.com/document/PDF/economics/special/UrbanForests.pdf https://www.td.com/document/PDF/economics/special/UrbanFores...
      - nicoburns 5y ago
        > It has more green space than any city in the UK That's probably technically true, but a bit misleading. It's also pretty much the only city in the UK where it's difficult to get out into actual countryside. I used to live in Bristol and it certainly felt greener and more rural than London, even if it technically isn't.
Jakobeha 5y ago
I've gone on super long runs (10+ miles) through cities, parks, and other beautiful environments. These runs can be transcendental. During them, I felt like I was at peace and all my problems almost went away. Now I think back on them and feel nostalgia, also I appreciate nature and architecture a lot more. For me, runners high is very real. I've never taken drugs or psychedelics, but I would be interested in hearing people who've done both compare the two. I really think it's a similar experience.
- frereubu 5y ago
  They're pretty different in my experience (used to take LSD, run instead these days). LSD can be different things to different people, but for me it was a really intense experience, where everything was really vivid and alive. I think I get the runner's high you talk about, but it's much more meditative and (for lack of a less loaded term) wholesome. The comedown from LSD can be pretty grim, but running first thing in the morning improves my entire day. Edit: Actually, if the comparison is microdosing I've never done that. But I'd take a run over microdosing any day, even if I could get guaranteed pharmeceutical-grade LSD on tap.
- jk7tarYZAQNpTQa 5y ago
  > These runs can be transcendental. I truly believe it. The happiness you feel after a race, or a good workout, is indescribable. I've never been happier than when I routinely worked out for 90 minutes a day, 6 days a week. I was floating, and had random endorphins highs during the day. I've never microdosed, but from what I've read I think running (and more generally sport) can be similar to it. Maybe similar to meditating, too.
- softwaredoug 5y ago
  Before a family vacation recently, I went on a long 11 mile hike by myself. It helped just completely empty my mind, especially the transition from work mind -> family mind. Planning to do it more often...
- vmception 5y ago
  When I do “tranquil” things like being on a trail I mostly wind up thinking about others things I can be doing Like I get motivated to do things I’m procrastinating on, except now I’m in the middle of a trail and cant This can have redeeming benefits like sorting out thoughts for things I hadnt considered and I can enjoy it when I get into it, but this is a different experience than psychadelics Also not all trails I can get into. Some start boring and stay boring. An exercise high where you zone off into your thoughts and get a (theorized) release of dopamine and serotonin from your muscles aching is very different than psychedelics Some/Many people on the trails around you are also on psychadelics. You shouldnt be able to tell, but especially if they are microdosing. I would say while using psychadelics that stimuli guides your thoughts differently. Your mind is sorting different things. And primarily different neuron groups are communicating that typically aren’t, or are now communicating at higher bandwidth. This is all theorized based on shared experiences and some MRIs that show enhanced activity but arent capable of corroborating how neurons are connected. The serotonin released is also considered to be amplified. For many, this has redeeming benefits. More study is needed so at least less redeeming side effects can be listed on the bottle like every fda evaluated drug. Being in the woods and being on psychadelics isnt mutually exclusive
ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
I used up my quota before I was 18. I start each day with a 2-mile walk. Seems to work for me.
- Jtsummers 5y ago
  Or after work, I'm currently doing 2-mile daily runs (trying to get into my old 5km running habit) and it's incredibly restorative after a day of thinking about other people's problems.
0-_-0 5y ago
Microdosing in nature is better than a walk in nature
colinspear 5y ago
Sometimes someone's gotta say the obvious thing so we can remember.
mxcrossr 5y ago
I wonder if this is more a subtle criticism of psychology research. Perhaps a walk in the park should be more of a baseline
- aphextron 5y ago
  So much of "mental" health is really just physical health. As a young person with mood issues I could never really understand why I felt the way I felt at times, and would always just chalk it up to some vague self diagnosed mental disorder. But the older I get I realize it all comes down to my physical state. Am I tired? Have I slept right? Have I eaten? Too much caffeine? Too much alcohol? Have I exercised? Practically every bad mood can be traced back to these. Yet people will ignore all that and convince themselves they need to take a pill to make themselves feel better.
  - frereubu 5y ago
    Exactly. The overcomplicated way people think about things like this reminds me of the counterpoint Michael Pollan quote about what you should eat: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." If people made sure they slept properly, didn't drink too much (caffeine or alcohol) and got regular exercise, they'd feel transformed. It took me until my 40s to realise that!
    - ad404b8a372f2b9 5y ago
      I think at this point everybody's aware of what it takes to be healthy. People live their lives pumped up by stimulants and numbed down by alcohol and terrible food because their life is already terrible, it's a symptom and an escape from deeper problems caused by the inhuman environment a lot of us are stuck in.
      - frereubu 5y ago
        Reminds me of that Irvine Welsh quote: "If 'it' wasn't so shit, people wouldn't be trying to get 'out of it'." Not sure I agree that's anything like the sole cause though. I think there's a lot of people who've drunk the kool-aid of miracle fixes when being kind to yourself is the much simpler (and cheaper) option.
aphextron 5y ago
Por que no los dos?
srinivgp 5y ago
A good night's sleep is better than antibiotics.
TeMPOraL 5y ago
But is it faster? That is the important question. If all you are after are the ends, the best means are ones that require the least effort.
- justinator 5y ago
  I found my favorite walks in nature have also been the most inconvenient ones.
indiantinker 5y ago
Can vouch for this, cheaper as well.
furgooswft13 5y ago
what's even better is to take DMT then run into the forest to talk to dead people then post your story on erowid.org in the year 2000.
- varelse 5y ago
  Doubly so if you took the DMT in 2021.
hristov 5y ago
Anything is better than microdosing. In general not microdosing or taking any drugs at all is better than microdosing. Microdosing is a lie perpetrated by drug dealers to sell drugs to sectors of the population that would be otherwise too cautious to take them. The entire concept is based on a logical fallacy. The fallacy is that if you do not get the positive effect (i.e., getting high), you won't get the negative effect (i.e., addiction, tolerance, and the slew of other health damaging effects for each particular drug). But there is no data to support this and it is unlikely to be true. In fact from what is known about the nervous system, taking small dozes of an addictive drug often and at regular intervals is a great way to increase tolerance. This will cause any positive effects of the drug to quickly diminish, which will cause the user to take larger doses, which will cause more tolerance and larger doses until the health effects associated with the drug start showing up. So yes do take those walks in the park. One can actually be addicted to exercise too, but that is an addiction that almost always has nothing but positive side effects. It is in very rare cases that people exercise so much that it causes negative effects.
- Falling3 5y ago
  The drugs used for microdosing are not considered to form physical dependence. Nor have I ever heard of anyone become addicted to psychedelics. Is there a reason your response hinges on addiction?
- snypher 5y ago
  I'm not sure how you can believe what is written here. Do you honestly think people adverse to taking LSD are being convinced because 'its just a little bit'? LSD isn't known to be addictive at all, are there any LSD addicts who started out small but are now taking whole sheets a day? This post seems like the example of inventing something to get angry at?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- thecrash 5y ago
  LSD doesn't work the way you're describing, at all. I can think of other substances that do, but your treatment of "drugs" as a monolith suggests you don't really understand the particular topic at hand.
simonsaidit 5y ago
I found a walk in Nature on the day after a changa(DMT+Harmala) was greatly enhanced. Somehow i would notise the leaves more like having better vision. Perhaps being more in the moment have to do with it.
Vaslo 5y ago
Psychedelics are the new AI and willl probably end up just as disappointing.
beaconstudios 5y ago
and the award for the most California post ever goes to...
weregiraffe 5y ago
But worse than macrodosing.
yoloswagins 5y ago
The issue with microdosing is the lack of ritual. Taking a precut strip before getting started on a task. Compare this to the ritual of going to nature, it's an aberration from your usual ways. You get more benefit, or maybe just meaning from psychedelics by creating ritual. Compare taking an MAOI consuming DMT, vs traveling to a new place and consuming ayahuasca.
gcheong 5y ago
They seem to be rather orthogonal. Microdosing is certainly more controllable in terms of how much and what dose so you can optimize the level whereas walks in nature is more akin to drinking herbal tea for an upset stomach. You hope it helps but you don’t know how much of the active ingredient you’re getting for the effects you want and in that sense it’s more of a crapshoot in terms of repeatability but they’re also just enjoyable in their own right regardless of follow on benefits.
simonswords82 5y ago
Why not both?
balls187 5y ago
Never microdosed (or macro for that matter), but nothing comes close to the elation I feel when I play with my kids at the park.
_ph_ 5y ago
I have never tried microdosing, but how would I manage to get a walk in nature? :p Alas, when I was a child we used to live at an edge of a forest, so getting a walk in nature was easy to do. But where I am living now, there is some residential housing and some fields. Not sure how far I would have to drive until I get to some point which would qualify as "nature". Perhaps 30 minutes to an hour.
- Jtsummers 5y ago
  Check your local city map on Google Maps, you may be surprised to find some "nature" [0] trails within your residential area. They're not always marked well. [0] In quotes because you're going to be 100-300' from houses on a large portion of these kinds of trails. But they can still offer something nice and scenic compared to walking the suburban sidewalks.
  - _ph_ 5y ago
    Thanks, but around here where I live, the area is completely taken with either housing or fields which are farmed. And this is directly around Munich. In a sense, you will find more "nature" in the parks inside the city. Likewise, there are no "trails" because there is basically no unused land, if you don't count the access roads to the fields.
whalesalad 5y ago
Why do these things need to be mutually exclusive?
- Muromec 5y ago
  This. Who does psychedelics and sits at home, or even worse at their job.
ldbooth 5y ago
But is a walk more effective than microdosing snake oil? Surely if it works for LSD...
ldbooth 5y ago
It doesn't just apply to walks in nature: you, without drugs > you, with drugs each person discovers this in their own time & experience, and each current user justifies his choice vehemently until after they decide to quit.
- enragedcacti 5y ago
  There are millions of people for whom psychiatric medication makes a huge difference in their day to day life.
  - 2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago
    Psychiatric medication that has run a gauntlet of clinical tests/trials and is prescribed by a physician > street drugs
    - speapr 5y ago
      Lots of people take psychedelic drugs, or other drugs such as cannabis and MDMA, and would claim that they are much much more successful at improving mental health than psychiatric medication. This includes people who have to get hold of them illegally.
    - enragedcacti 5y ago
      If you have full faith in the medical and legal system then yes, this absolutely true. The fact that we have an epidemic of legally prescribed opioids while effective treatments of PTSD (in clinical settings) such as MDMA remain broadly illegal is all the evidence you need to know that you shouldn't put your full faith in our system.
      - 2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago
        While promising I still don't trust people to self medicate with these things. You end up in BS anecdote land where people with issues self diagnose themselves, take uncontrolled drugs with dubious quality, and self report effects. It's all in all unreliable when not monitored by a neutral medical professional.
deleted 5y ago
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irchans 5y ago
From what I understand, low doses LSD or mushrooms sometimes (I think like 20% of the time) creates a long term (six months to permanent) change in mood for severely depressed people. I am also under the impression that there is no extra benefit from repeating doses more than once a year. I think that walks in nature work significantly more often, but the effect is short term lasting days instead of months or years. Also, walking once or more a week is helpful long term.
- 93po 5y ago
  I have only seen evidence and anecdotes about long term changes from large doses. And repeating every few months or a few times a year.
kderbyma 5y ago
I typically go for long walks around my city and try to hit as much green space as possible about once a month. usually will take 2-8 hours and see where I end up. Usually 10-20km. It does wonders for my mind.
71a54xd 5y ago
Clearly this author has missed the point of well - many things... the idea here is to microdose while taking a walk in nature ;)
fasteddie31003 5y ago
As someone who recently moved from SF to Breckenridge, CO, I can say nature definitely has a pretty big effect on my mental state. I wouldn't compare it to psychedelics. I think that's a dumb take that is targeted for clicks. Being in nature has little to do with the intense introspection from psychedelics. There are other metal changes I get from living in nature. I've actually become less ambitious and content with my life. Living in SF was a grind and I think part of the ambition that is in cities come from wanting to improve you living situation. When I'm living in a small town with beautiful nature I have less of a desire to work hard to improve my life because my life already is pretty good. I think more clearly because I'm more physically active and don't drink as much. I don't think I'm any more creative maybe I should microdose more...
- amackera 5y ago
  > I've actually become less ambitious and content with my life. This is really interesting, and something I myself experienced (in reverse) of going from small-town living to a world city with a thriving tech ecosystem. Now I'm contemplating moving back out into small-town life (I'm sure many city dwellers are thinking along the same lines after being locked inside for a year). I'm concerned that I'll lose my drive and ambition and settle for less in life. Health and wellness matter more than any achievement or accolade at the end of the day.
- h0l0cube 5y ago
  > Being in nature has little to do with the intense introspection from psychedelics. Intense introspection has little to do with microdosing
agumonkey 5y ago
What about small rivers and ponds ? I had strange experiences sitting near water. The flow, the sound, the reflections.. maybe someone knows about rituals or recent studies about it.
actually_a_dog 5y ago
I'd love to try LSD, or some other, similar psychedelic compound, but I don't even know where to begin sourcing it. I was that kid in high school who never even took a hit off a joint, because "drugs are bad, mmmkay," so I'm a little clueless. :P
- emc3 5y ago
  reddit.com Seriously, not that you can source directly from there, but give it 20min and you'll figure it out. Hint: BTC & DMs
  - actually_a_dog 5y ago
    Oh, hmm. Well, hypothetically, if I were going to, that sounds like a good idea. Hypothetically, of course.
    - rriepe 5y ago
      Uncle Ben's subreddit is the best place for info
- LatteLazy 5y ago
  Tor.
- zesty_mcbreeze 5y ago
  Sounds familiar. "OK, some of you experienced druggies are going to get a chuckle from this. This is a description of my first trip. I grew up in a real conservative environment. I always wanted to hallucinate but I was real scared of LSD. After all, it causes chromosome damage and a lot of the people that trip on it either jump out of windows or end up in a permanent psychosis. Some of the lucky ones that make it through the trip ok suffer from uncontrollable flash backs for the rest of their life. Pretty scary stuff. I never was around people that used psychedelics much. The few times I had the opportunity, I was unable to find out enough about the source and quality to put my ignorant self at ease. It seemed like I was never going to get to have a psychedelic experience. Well, I was surfing the net one day and decided to test the reach of information contained on it. I was trying one exotic topic after another in Yahoo. I was amazed at the knowledge contained on the net. I decided to push it to the limit. I asked about psilocybin. To my amazement, a few indexes to documents came back. I quickly down loaded them and started studying them. I was astonished to find out that the spores for Psilocybe mushrooms could be mail ordered because the spores did not contain any controlled substances. And best of all, there was no overdose for psilocybin." From the Magic Mushroom Growers' Guide: https://catbull.com/alamut/Bibliothek/Growguide.english/Mmgg.htm https://catbull.com/alamut/Bibliothek/Growguide.english/Mmgg...
jhorsager 5y ago
This is what you call a false dichotomy.
seaorg 5y ago
Microdosing is important for people in Kansas and Mars.
sosuke 5y ago
So ... if we combine the two would we get even more benefit? Could it be compounding like alcohol and central nervous system depressants?
gcatalfamo 5y ago
I have never microdosed, but I disagree on the pleasantries of walking in nature. Unless specific conditions apply like not being hot or too cold, walkability of the trail, etc. I find myself really stressed after a hike or an unwanted stroll. Insects, sweat, looking where you put tour steps or else…I get really annoyed. YMMV but it’s probably just me I guess. Edit: grammar
- notdang 5y ago
  Yes, looks like these people are living in a temperate zone. Try to walk through the jungle where I live and lets see after how many minutes you will want to breathe normal air again.
  - samatman 5y ago
    This is the most your-mileage-may-vary thread I've read on HN in a long time! Taking some hongos with my buddies in the Yucatan was an experience I will always treasure. But at that point in my life it had been at least two months since I'd set foot in air conditioning, we were mostly living on the beaches (I was the token gringo).
- heavyset_go 5y ago
  If I go without any extended exercise for a while, this is how I feel. If you force yourself to go for a hike/walk/jog etc, after a few times, that initial discomfort dissipates and it becomes a psychologically and physically rewarding experience. You go from feeling like shit the first few times to feeling refreshed afterwards.
momirlan 5y ago
100% agree. However, finding nature in a big city is a challenge. Finding a quiet place in that nature in a big city is a bigger challenge. It's certainly not as simple as "take a 5 min. walk". It might involve driving 30-60 min just to get there.
yosito 5y ago
Apples are better than oranges
LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago
Why not combining both? When having stuff to do in downtown, I usually choose routes which are rich green with large old trees and/or houses whith really nice front lawns bursting with colors by the planted flowers and bushes. Even if it is a slight detour, and thus taking longer to get where I need to be. Though I prefer to be absolutely sober then. OTOH, walking, or bicyling out of town into the surrounding country, having only the slightest 'buzz' from some weak weed/grass intensifies my perception of the colors, smells, sounds, air currents and temperatures. I'd guess 'microdosing' would be similar? Oh, and don't forget polarized sunglasses with blue/green tint. That is upping the visuals a notch. Even without direct sunhine, when it's overcast. Example: the leaves of trees, from afar, or high up in the crown. With bare eyes I see them, but diffuse. With polarized sunglasses I can see every single one of them, their movement in the wind, and even their structure. Similar boost for seeing waves on the river.
- gime_tree_fiddy 5y ago
  > With bare eyes I see them, but diffuse. With polarized sunglasses I can see every single one of them, their movement in the wind, and even their structure. Similar boost for seeing waves on the river. This is eerily similar to what I have experienced. I seem to notice the color of flowers, movement of the leaves whilst wearing polarized sunglasses and some infusion of THC.
  - LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago
    I think there is nothing eerie about it. Pilots often wear them. Captains, other navigators on ships also. What could be the reason? :-) Which reminds me of something I've forgotten to mention. Clouds in the sky change from diffuse to 3D :-)
    - zild3d 5y ago
      Yes, skiing/snowboarding too! Ski goggles are sold with various color tints and (light transmission) for different conditions. Makes a big difference in visibility https://www.rei.com/blog/snowsports/understanding-goggle-lens-colors https://www.rei.com/blog/snowsports/understanding-goggle-len...
elwell 5y ago
Also: native scrolling is better than smooth-scroll.js
PaulHoule 5y ago
Better yet you take the whole of dose and then walk in Nature. Closely related Psilocybin is the only sacrament that is clinically proven to work better than a placebo: https://www.wired.com/2013/10/timothy-leary-archives/ https://www.wired.com/2013/10/timothy-leary-archives/ and it is widely believe to enhance the outdoor experience as well.
bjt2n3904 5y ago
Here's the biggest issue: none of this is is scientific. None of it is quantifiable, none of it is repeatable, none of it is falsifiable. Oh, I'm sure you can take a lab rat, vivisect him, introduce certain chemicals, and observe a change in behavior. But you can't do that with people. Furthermore, behavior is one thing. But the mind -- human consciousness -- is more than the physical organ of the brain. When the doctors prescribe medication to rectify a "chemical imbalance" in your brain, they aren't actually preforming a measurement. And what's more, after the medication is administered, there's no objective test to determine if the treatment is effective. How do you measure depression? What are the units? You've got nothing but a subjective assessment. "This feels better." Or "This does not." At the end, microdosing is no more scientific than healing crystals, religion, or taking a walk in the park. And yet, I absolutely believe a walk in nature is better than a chemically induced lobotomy.
- unifiedtheory 5y ago
  the article has link to research measuring objective indicators
lolc 5y ago
I can see how the author wants us to learn about this awesome life hack of going for walks. However, one can microdose and take walks at the same time. So the question becomes: How do they stack? Unfortunately, this was not explored.
walterlb 5y ago
This reads like one of those cookie cutter mass produced "Article about a Thing" you find when searching for almost anything these days
heavyset_go 5y ago
I'll go as far as to say that the benefits you can get from psychedelics, you can also get from meditation. The former can be a valuable shortcut, but the latter is sustainable and good for well-being.
samatman 5y ago
What a bizarre artifact of a very specific subculture. I would wager that, not only is walking in nature more popular than microdosing (lol, c'mon, that's a gimme) but that regular ol' dosing and walking in nature is also more popular than microdosing. As compromises go, "minidosing" and taking a hike is pretty nice! I found (back when I made a habit of such things) that the smallest amount of your psychedelic-of-choice that you would definitely feel was a good match for wandering around and enjoying the splendor of the world. I truly wonder what prompted someone to contrast two of the most complementary activities I can think of in this way. Takes all types I guess.
mlang23 5y ago
Wow, seriously weird. These "microdosing reports" feel a bit like BitCoin propaganda. I mean, like if someone was trying to establish a market that wouldn't exist by simple demand. So demand is being created by telling people in a sneaky way that they are kind of missing out on something. Besides, I would choose a nice walk in the woods everytime over microdosing a psychedelic. For one, inhaling nature directly and having your senses recalibrated to natural events is just wonderful, and microdosing is simply too shallow to make up for that. If you draw a comparison, I guess you need to compare to a full trip. And even that is best done out in the nature :-)
Madhouse61 5y ago
I began trail running about a month ago, nothing excessive but enough to break into a decent sweat and send my heart rate up. One thing I've taken away from this is the extasy and clarity of mind experienced post-run is truly fascinating. What's better and I say this to you Anecdotally, was the almost recursive Impetus of ideas that began to flow to me in the latter hours of the day.

248 points by unifiedtheory 5y ago

chadlavi 5y ago

I'd be willing to test out both to compare

NikolaeVarius 5y ago

Or just take a full dose and take a walk in nature. Much better.

rob74 5y ago
Take a full dose. Go outside to take a walk. Get arrested. Now you have bigger problems to think about than improving your mood and focus.
- speapr 5y ago
  Take a full dose. Go outside to take a walk. Get arrested. Realize in lockdown that all societal control is just an illusion and an ego trip by those who think they need to pretend to exert power, and that nothing can hold down your divine, free essence as a living god.
  - varelse 5y ago
    And wake up in a hospital weeks later realizing you got a bad batch because these drugs aren't legal so there's no quality control and now you're on the fast track to early dementia. Pass.
    - h0l0cube 5y ago
      The worst I've heard of someone on acid is a terrifying 8 hours, but nothing beyond temporary distress, and nothing life threatening. AFAIA its so cheap to make that there's no profit incentive to cut it with anything else
      - meetups323 5y ago
        Very possible for it to be contaminated without intent. I have friends who unintentionally consumed PCP-laced acid, ended up running through razor wire, woke up in the hospital.
        olyjohn 5y ago
        That's why you buy one of those drug testing kits. Don't test street drugs from untrusted sources in your body. This was literally the first DDG search result. https://testkitplus.com/product-category/test-kits https://testkitplus.com/product-category/test-kits
        varelse 5y ago
        This is simultaneously everything right and everything wrong with America: an entrepreneurial solution to a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.
      - varelse 5y ago
        If you go through the trouble of making your own like Albert Hofmann did, sure. You're not going to though, are you? So you're putting your biggest asset in the hands of criminals of unknown intent. Good luck with that... But I support your right to smoke, snort, or inject whatever you want. I'm getting older now and my brain is starting to slow down so I really appreciate your opting in to annihilating the advantage of youth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann
        h0l0cube 5y ago
        > I really appreciate your opting in to annihilating the advantage of youth. Why do you presume I'm young?
        varelse 5y ago
        My bad: I thought wisdom came with age.
  - imiric 5y ago
    "Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. That we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather."
    - jredwards 5y ago
      Thanks, Bill.
- 71a54xd 5y ago
  As long as you consumed all the psychs what would they arrest you for? Being too enthralled with the beauty of nature? That said, getting arrested will be the least of your problems if you take a "full" dose and haven't had enough prior experience with psychs.
- tuxxy 5y ago
  This is an absurd fantasy. If you take psychedelics and go outside, no one is going to arrest you. Consumption of drugs, in most western nations, isn't a crime. Stop spreading this sort of asinine fear.
  - drooogs 5y ago
    it kinda depends. simply being high/tripping is not illegal in most places, but you can still be arrested for public intoxication if you make a scene or just appear very fucked up in the presence of a police officer. they are obligated to detain you if they judge you to be a danger to yourself (often happens with drunks). better hope you don't have any contraband on you if that happens. a lot of people are overconfident in their ability to handle psychedelics. some people really are capable of maintaining a totally serene presence when they're tripping, but many don't realize just how weird they look to sober observers.
- Broken_Hippo 5y ago
  Only, that's not the case. Granted, I tend to stay at home when taking hallucinogens, but not always - and have been both in cities and closer to nature. The thing you have to remember is: No one pays attention to you. If you have a beer in your hand - or smell like you've been drinking - people do assume that is the case. It isn't like can't act normal, especially if you make sure to walk around after you peak. It isn't like hallucinogens necessarily make you act weird - especially since people will just assume you are weird. Again, people don't really pay attention to you. Just don't do this if it is your first time.

mc32 5y ago

But that means actually “doing” something.

Blahah 5y ago

Clearly both have benefits. If you have access to nature (many people don't) then walking in it is beneficial. Whether or not you have access to nature, microdosing might help.

omginternets 5y ago
Walking in a city is also beneficial.

nicoburns 5y ago

> Why is microdosing popular and walks in the park are not? Is there anywhere where this is true? Where I live (London), probably 80% of people go for walks in the park. And I don't think I know anyone who microdoses.

hanniabu 5y ago
I'd say because parks/nature is scarce in concrete cities
- ubercow13 5y ago
  London has lots of nice parks. There was much more greenery around me in London than there is in the ‘leafy’ suburb, elsewhere in the country, that I currently live in.
  - 0xbadcafebee 5y ago
    London is a bit of an outlier. It's high on the list of major cities with the most green space, at about 34%. It has more green space than any city in the UK, and it is the world's largest urban forest at over 8 million trees. By comparison, Los Angeles is the only major US city with as much green space (the next is NYC at 27%), even though the US is 40 times bigger than the UK.
    - gpm 5y ago
      > and it is the world's largest urban forest at over 8 million trees. According to this, Toronto has 10 million, and honestly I'm sort of surprised it's that low... do you have a source for the "largest" claim? https://www.td.com/document/PDF/economics/special/UrbanForests.pdf https://www.td.com/document/PDF/economics/special/UrbanFores...
    - nicoburns 5y ago
      > It has more green space than any city in the UK That's probably technically true, but a bit misleading. It's also pretty much the only city in the UK where it's difficult to get out into actual countryside. I used to live in Bristol and it certainly felt greener and more rural than London, even if it technically isn't.

Jakobeha 5y ago

I've gone on super long runs (10+ miles) through cities, parks, and other beautiful environments. These runs can be transcendental. During them, I felt like I was at peace and all my problems almost went away. Now I think back on them and feel nostalgia, also I appreciate nature and architecture a lot more. For me, runners high is very real. I've never taken drugs or psychedelics, but I would be interested in hearing people who've done both compare the two. I really think it's a similar experience.

frereubu 5y ago
They're pretty different in my experience (used to take LSD, run instead these days). LSD can be different things to different people, but for me it was a really intense experience, where everything was really vivid and alive. I think I get the runner's high you talk about, but it's much more meditative and (for lack of a less loaded term) wholesome. The comedown from LSD can be pretty grim, but running first thing in the morning improves my entire day. Edit: Actually, if the comparison is microdosing I've never done that. But I'd take a run over microdosing any day, even if I could get guaranteed pharmeceutical-grade LSD on tap.
jk7tarYZAQNpTQa 5y ago
> These runs can be transcendental. I truly believe it. The happiness you feel after a race, or a good workout, is indescribable. I've never been happier than when I routinely worked out for 90 minutes a day, 6 days a week. I was floating, and had random endorphins highs during the day. I've never microdosed, but from what I've read I think running (and more generally sport) can be similar to it. Maybe similar to meditating, too.
softwaredoug 5y ago
Before a family vacation recently, I went on a long 11 mile hike by myself. It helped just completely empty my mind, especially the transition from work mind -> family mind. Planning to do it more often...
vmception 5y ago
When I do “tranquil” things like being on a trail I mostly wind up thinking about others things I can be doing Like I get motivated to do things I’m procrastinating on, except now I’m in the middle of a trail and cant This can have redeeming benefits like sorting out thoughts for things I hadnt considered and I can enjoy it when I get into it, but this is a different experience than psychadelics Also not all trails I can get into. Some start boring and stay boring. An exercise high where you zone off into your thoughts and get a (theorized) release of dopamine and serotonin from your muscles aching is very different than psychedelics Some/Many people on the trails around you are also on psychadelics. You shouldnt be able to tell, but especially if they are microdosing. I would say while using psychadelics that stimuli guides your thoughts differently. Your mind is sorting different things. And primarily different neuron groups are communicating that typically aren’t, or are now communicating at higher bandwidth. This is all theorized based on shared experiences and some MRIs that show enhanced activity but arent capable of corroborating how neurons are connected. The serotonin released is also considered to be amplified. For many, this has redeeming benefits. More study is needed so at least less redeeming side effects can be listed on the bottle like every fda evaluated drug. Being in the woods and being on psychadelics isnt mutually exclusive

ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago

I used up my quota before I was 18. I start each day with a 2-mile walk. Seems to work for me.

Jtsummers 5y ago
Or after work, I'm currently doing 2-mile daily runs (trying to get into my old 5km running habit) and it's incredibly restorative after a day of thinking about other people's problems.

0-_-0 5y ago

Microdosing in nature is better than a walk in nature

colinspear 5y ago

Sometimes someone's gotta say the obvious thing so we can remember.

mxcrossr 5y ago

I wonder if this is more a subtle criticism of psychology research. Perhaps a walk in the park should be more of a baseline

aphextron 5y ago
So much of "mental" health is really just physical health. As a young person with mood issues I could never really understand why I felt the way I felt at times, and would always just chalk it up to some vague self diagnosed mental disorder. But the older I get I realize it all comes down to my physical state. Am I tired? Have I slept right? Have I eaten? Too much caffeine? Too much alcohol? Have I exercised? Practically every bad mood can be traced back to these. Yet people will ignore all that and convince themselves they need to take a pill to make themselves feel better.
- frereubu 5y ago
  Exactly. The overcomplicated way people think about things like this reminds me of the counterpoint Michael Pollan quote about what you should eat: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." If people made sure they slept properly, didn't drink too much (caffeine or alcohol) and got regular exercise, they'd feel transformed. It took me until my 40s to realise that!
  - ad404b8a372f2b9 5y ago
    I think at this point everybody's aware of what it takes to be healthy. People live their lives pumped up by stimulants and numbed down by alcohol and terrible food because their life is already terrible, it's a symptom and an escape from deeper problems caused by the inhuman environment a lot of us are stuck in.
    - frereubu 5y ago
      Reminds me of that Irvine Welsh quote: "If 'it' wasn't so shit, people wouldn't be trying to get 'out of it'." Not sure I agree that's anything like the sole cause though. I think there's a lot of people who've drunk the kool-aid of miracle fixes when being kind to yourself is the much simpler (and cheaper) option.

aphextron 5y ago

Por que no los dos?

srinivgp 5y ago

A good night's sleep is better than antibiotics.

TeMPOraL 5y ago

But is it faster? That is the important question. If all you are after are the ends, the best means are ones that require the least effort.

justinator 5y ago
I found my favorite walks in nature have also been the most inconvenient ones.

indiantinker 5y ago

Can vouch for this, cheaper as well.

furgooswft13 5y ago

what's even better is to take DMT then run into the forest to talk to dead people then post your story on erowid.org in the year 2000.

varelse 5y ago
Doubly so if you took the DMT in 2021.

hristov 5y ago

Anything is better than microdosing. In general not microdosing or taking any drugs at all is better than microdosing. Microdosing is a lie perpetrated by drug dealers to sell drugs to sectors of the population that would be otherwise too cautious to take them. The entire concept is based on a logical fallacy. The fallacy is that if you do not get the positive effect (i.e., getting high), you won't get the negative effect (i.e., addiction, tolerance, and the slew of other health damaging effects for each particular drug). But there is no data to support this and it is unlikely to be true. In fact from what is known about the nervous system, taking small dozes of an addictive drug often and at regular intervals is a great way to increase tolerance. This will cause any positive effects of the drug to quickly diminish, which will cause the user to take larger doses, which will cause more tolerance and larger doses until the health effects associated with the drug start showing up. So yes do take those walks in the park. One can actually be addicted to exercise too, but that is an addiction that almost always has nothing but positive side effects. It is in very rare cases that people exercise so much that it causes negative effects.

Falling3 5y ago
The drugs used for microdosing are not considered to form physical dependence. Nor have I ever heard of anyone become addicted to psychedelics. Is there a reason your response hinges on addiction?
snypher 5y ago
I'm not sure how you can believe what is written here. Do you honestly think people adverse to taking LSD are being convinced because 'its just a little bit'? LSD isn't known to be addictive at all, are there any LSD addicts who started out small but are now taking whole sheets a day? This post seems like the example of inventing something to get angry at?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
thecrash 5y ago
LSD doesn't work the way you're describing, at all. I can think of other substances that do, but your treatment of "drugs" as a monolith suggests you don't really understand the particular topic at hand.

simonsaidit 5y ago

I found a walk in Nature on the day after a changa(DMT+Harmala) was greatly enhanced. Somehow i would notise the leaves more like having better vision. Perhaps being more in the moment have to do with it.

Vaslo 5y ago

Psychedelics are the new AI and willl probably end up just as disappointing.

beaconstudios 5y ago

and the award for the most California post ever goes to...

weregiraffe 5y ago

But worse than macrodosing.

yoloswagins 5y ago

The issue with microdosing is the lack of ritual. Taking a precut strip before getting started on a task. Compare this to the ritual of going to nature, it's an aberration from your usual ways. You get more benefit, or maybe just meaning from psychedelics by creating ritual. Compare taking an MAOI consuming DMT, vs traveling to a new place and consuming ayahuasca.

gcheong 5y ago

They seem to be rather orthogonal. Microdosing is certainly more controllable in terms of how much and what dose so you can optimize the level whereas walks in nature is more akin to drinking herbal tea for an upset stomach. You hope it helps but you don’t know how much of the active ingredient you’re getting for the effects you want and in that sense it’s more of a crapshoot in terms of repeatability but they’re also just enjoyable in their own right regardless of follow on benefits.

simonswords82 5y ago

Why not both?

balls187 5y ago

Never microdosed (or macro for that matter), but nothing comes close to the elation I feel when I play with my kids at the park.

_ph_ 5y ago

I have never tried microdosing, but how would I manage to get a walk in nature? :p Alas, when I was a child we used to live at an edge of a forest, so getting a walk in nature was easy to do. But where I am living now, there is some residential housing and some fields. Not sure how far I would have to drive until I get to some point which would qualify as "nature". Perhaps 30 minutes to an hour.

Jtsummers 5y ago
Check your local city map on Google Maps, you may be surprised to find some "nature" [0] trails within your residential area. They're not always marked well. [0] In quotes because you're going to be 100-300' from houses on a large portion of these kinds of trails. But they can still offer something nice and scenic compared to walking the suburban sidewalks.
- _ph_ 5y ago
  Thanks, but around here where I live, the area is completely taken with either housing or fields which are farmed. And this is directly around Munich. In a sense, you will find more "nature" in the parks inside the city. Likewise, there are no "trails" because there is basically no unused land, if you don't count the access roads to the fields.

whalesalad 5y ago

Why do these things need to be mutually exclusive?

Muromec 5y ago
This. Who does psychedelics and sits at home, or even worse at their job.

ldbooth 5y ago

But is a walk more effective than microdosing snake oil? Surely if it works for LSD...

ldbooth 5y ago

It doesn't just apply to walks in nature: you, without drugs > you, with drugs each person discovers this in their own time & experience, and each current user justifies his choice vehemently until after they decide to quit.

enragedcacti 5y ago
There are millions of people for whom psychiatric medication makes a huge difference in their day to day life.
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago
  Psychiatric medication that has run a gauntlet of clinical tests/trials and is prescribed by a physician > street drugs
  - speapr 5y ago
    Lots of people take psychedelic drugs, or other drugs such as cannabis and MDMA, and would claim that they are much much more successful at improving mental health than psychiatric medication. This includes people who have to get hold of them illegally.
  - enragedcacti 5y ago
    If you have full faith in the medical and legal system then yes, this absolutely true. The fact that we have an epidemic of legally prescribed opioids while effective treatments of PTSD (in clinical settings) such as MDMA remain broadly illegal is all the evidence you need to know that you shouldn't put your full faith in our system.
    - 2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago
      While promising I still don't trust people to self medicate with these things. You end up in BS anecdote land where people with issues self diagnose themselves, take uncontrolled drugs with dubious quality, and self report effects. It's all in all unreliable when not monitored by a neutral medical professional.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

irchans 5y ago

From what I understand, low doses LSD or mushrooms sometimes (I think like 20% of the time) creates a long term (six months to permanent) change in mood for severely depressed people. I am also under the impression that there is no extra benefit from repeating doses more than once a year. I think that walks in nature work significantly more often, but the effect is short term lasting days instead of months or years. Also, walking once or more a week is helpful long term.

93po 5y ago
I have only seen evidence and anecdotes about long term changes from large doses. And repeating every few months or a few times a year.

kderbyma 5y ago

I typically go for long walks around my city and try to hit as much green space as possible about once a month. usually will take 2-8 hours and see where I end up. Usually 10-20km. It does wonders for my mind.

71a54xd 5y ago

Clearly this author has missed the point of well - many things... the idea here is to microdose while taking a walk in nature ;)

fasteddie31003 5y ago

As someone who recently moved from SF to Breckenridge, CO, I can say nature definitely has a pretty big effect on my mental state. I wouldn't compare it to psychedelics. I think that's a dumb take that is targeted for clicks. Being in nature has little to do with the intense introspection from psychedelics. There are other metal changes I get from living in nature. I've actually become less ambitious and content with my life. Living in SF was a grind and I think part of the ambition that is in cities come from wanting to improve you living situation. When I'm living in a small town with beautiful nature I have less of a desire to work hard to improve my life because my life already is pretty good. I think more clearly because I'm more physically active and don't drink as much. I don't think I'm any more creative maybe I should microdose more...

amackera 5y ago
> I've actually become less ambitious and content with my life. This is really interesting, and something I myself experienced (in reverse) of going from small-town living to a world city with a thriving tech ecosystem. Now I'm contemplating moving back out into small-town life (I'm sure many city dwellers are thinking along the same lines after being locked inside for a year). I'm concerned that I'll lose my drive and ambition and settle for less in life. Health and wellness matter more than any achievement or accolade at the end of the day.
h0l0cube 5y ago
> Being in nature has little to do with the intense introspection from psychedelics. Intense introspection has little to do with microdosing

agumonkey 5y ago

What about small rivers and ponds ? I had strange experiences sitting near water. The flow, the sound, the reflections.. maybe someone knows about rituals or recent studies about it.

actually_a_dog 5y ago

I'd love to try LSD, or some other, similar psychedelic compound, but I don't even know where to begin sourcing it. I was that kid in high school who never even took a hit off a joint, because "drugs are bad, mmmkay," so I'm a little clueless. :P

emc3 5y ago
reddit.com Seriously, not that you can source directly from there, but give it 20min and you'll figure it out. Hint: BTC & DMs
- actually_a_dog 5y ago
  Oh, hmm. Well, hypothetically, if I were going to, that sounds like a good idea. Hypothetically, of course.
  - rriepe 5y ago
    Uncle Ben's subreddit is the best place for info
LatteLazy 5y ago
Tor.
zesty_mcbreeze 5y ago
Sounds familiar. "OK, some of you experienced druggies are going to get a chuckle from this. This is a description of my first trip. I grew up in a real conservative environment. I always wanted to hallucinate but I was real scared of LSD. After all, it causes chromosome damage and a lot of the people that trip on it either jump out of windows or end up in a permanent psychosis. Some of the lucky ones that make it through the trip ok suffer from uncontrollable flash backs for the rest of their life. Pretty scary stuff. I never was around people that used psychedelics much. The few times I had the opportunity, I was unable to find out enough about the source and quality to put my ignorant self at ease. It seemed like I was never going to get to have a psychedelic experience. Well, I was surfing the net one day and decided to test the reach of information contained on it. I was trying one exotic topic after another in Yahoo. I was amazed at the knowledge contained on the net. I decided to push it to the limit. I asked about psilocybin. To my amazement, a few indexes to documents came back. I quickly down loaded them and started studying them. I was astonished to find out that the spores for Psilocybe mushrooms could be mail ordered because the spores did not contain any controlled substances. And best of all, there was no overdose for psilocybin." From the Magic Mushroom Growers' Guide: https://catbull.com/alamut/Bibliothek/Growguide.english/Mmgg.htm https://catbull.com/alamut/Bibliothek/Growguide.english/Mmgg...

jhorsager 5y ago

This is what you call a false dichotomy.

seaorg 5y ago

Microdosing is important for people in Kansas and Mars.

sosuke 5y ago

So ... if we combine the two would we get even more benefit? Could it be compounding like alcohol and central nervous system depressants?

gcatalfamo 5y ago

I have never microdosed, but I disagree on the pleasantries of walking in nature. Unless specific conditions apply like not being hot or too cold, walkability of the trail, etc. I find myself really stressed after a hike or an unwanted stroll. Insects, sweat, looking where you put tour steps or else…I get really annoyed. YMMV but it’s probably just me I guess. Edit: grammar

notdang 5y ago
Yes, looks like these people are living in a temperate zone. Try to walk through the jungle where I live and lets see after how many minutes you will want to breathe normal air again.
- samatman 5y ago
  This is the most your-mileage-may-vary thread I've read on HN in a long time! Taking some hongos with my buddies in the Yucatan was an experience I will always treasure. But at that point in my life it had been at least two months since I'd set foot in air conditioning, we were mostly living on the beaches (I was the token gringo).
heavyset_go 5y ago
If I go without any extended exercise for a while, this is how I feel. If you force yourself to go for a hike/walk/jog etc, after a few times, that initial discomfort dissipates and it becomes a psychologically and physically rewarding experience. You go from feeling like shit the first few times to feeling refreshed afterwards.

momirlan 5y ago

100% agree. However, finding nature in a big city is a challenge. Finding a quiet place in that nature in a big city is a bigger challenge. It's certainly not as simple as "take a 5 min. walk". It might involve driving 30-60 min just to get there.

yosito 5y ago

Apples are better than oranges

LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago

Why not combining both? When having stuff to do in downtown, I usually choose routes which are rich green with large old trees and/or houses whith really nice front lawns bursting with colors by the planted flowers and bushes. Even if it is a slight detour, and thus taking longer to get where I need to be. Though I prefer to be absolutely sober then. OTOH, walking, or bicyling out of town into the surrounding country, having only the slightest 'buzz' from some weak weed/grass intensifies my perception of the colors, smells, sounds, air currents and temperatures. I'd guess 'microdosing' would be similar? Oh, and don't forget polarized sunglasses with blue/green tint. That is upping the visuals a notch. Even without direct sunhine, when it's overcast. Example: the leaves of trees, from afar, or high up in the crown. With bare eyes I see them, but diffuse. With polarized sunglasses I can see every single one of them, their movement in the wind, and even their structure. Similar boost for seeing waves on the river.

gime_tree_fiddy 5y ago
> With bare eyes I see them, but diffuse. With polarized sunglasses I can see every single one of them, their movement in the wind, and even their structure. Similar boost for seeing waves on the river. This is eerily similar to what I have experienced. I seem to notice the color of flowers, movement of the leaves whilst wearing polarized sunglasses and some infusion of THC.
- LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago
  I think there is nothing eerie about it. Pilots often wear them. Captains, other navigators on ships also. What could be the reason? :-) Which reminds me of something I've forgotten to mention. Clouds in the sky change from diffuse to 3D :-)
  - zild3d 5y ago
    Yes, skiing/snowboarding too! Ski goggles are sold with various color tints and (light transmission) for different conditions. Makes a big difference in visibility https://www.rei.com/blog/snowsports/understanding-goggle-lens-colors https://www.rei.com/blog/snowsports/understanding-goggle-len...

elwell 5y ago

Also: native scrolling is better than smooth-scroll.js

PaulHoule 5y ago

Better yet you take the whole of dose and then walk in Nature. Closely related Psilocybin is the only sacrament that is clinically proven to work better than a placebo: https://www.wired.com/2013/10/timothy-leary-archives/ https://www.wired.com/2013/10/timothy-leary-archives/ and it is widely believe to enhance the outdoor experience as well.

bjt2n3904 5y ago

Here's the biggest issue: none of this is is scientific. None of it is quantifiable, none of it is repeatable, none of it is falsifiable. Oh, I'm sure you can take a lab rat, vivisect him, introduce certain chemicals, and observe a change in behavior. But you can't do that with people. Furthermore, behavior is one thing. But the mind -- human consciousness -- is more than the physical organ of the brain. When the doctors prescribe medication to rectify a "chemical imbalance" in your brain, they aren't actually preforming a measurement. And what's more, after the medication is administered, there's no objective test to determine if the treatment is effective. How do you measure depression? What are the units? You've got nothing but a subjective assessment. "This feels better." Or "This does not." At the end, microdosing is no more scientific than healing crystals, religion, or taking a walk in the park. And yet, I absolutely believe a walk in nature is better than a chemically induced lobotomy.

unifiedtheory 5y ago
the article has link to research measuring objective indicators

lolc 5y ago

I can see how the author wants us to learn about this awesome life hack of going for walks. However, one can microdose and take walks at the same time. So the question becomes: How do they stack? Unfortunately, this was not explored.

walterlb 5y ago

This reads like one of those cookie cutter mass produced "Article about a Thing" you find when searching for almost anything these days

heavyset_go 5y ago

I'll go as far as to say that the benefits you can get from psychedelics, you can also get from meditation. The former can be a valuable shortcut, but the latter is sustainable and good for well-being.

samatman 5y ago

What a bizarre artifact of a very specific subculture. I would wager that, not only is walking in nature more popular than microdosing (lol, c'mon, that's a gimme) but that regular ol' dosing and walking in nature is also more popular than microdosing. As compromises go, "minidosing" and taking a hike is pretty nice! I found (back when I made a habit of such things) that the smallest amount of your psychedelic-of-choice that you would definitely feel was a good match for wandering around and enjoying the splendor of the world. I truly wonder what prompted someone to contrast two of the most complementary activities I can think of in this way. Takes all types I guess.

mlang23 5y ago

Wow, seriously weird. These "microdosing reports" feel a bit like BitCoin propaganda. I mean, like if someone was trying to establish a market that wouldn't exist by simple demand. So demand is being created by telling people in a sneaky way that they are kind of missing out on something. Besides, I would choose a nice walk in the woods everytime over microdosing a psychedelic. For one, inhaling nature directly and having your senses recalibrated to natural events is just wonderful, and microdosing is simply too shallow to make up for that. If you draw a comparison, I guess you need to compare to a full trip. And even that is best done out in the nature :-)

Madhouse61 5y ago

I began trail running about a month ago, nothing excessive but enough to break into a decent sweat and send my heart rate up. One thing I've taken away from this is the extasy and clarity of mind experienced post-run is truly fascinating. What's better and I say this to you Anecdotally, was the almost recursive Impetus of ideas that began to flow to me in the latter hours of the day.