In 1990, President George Bush declared ‘’I do not like broccoli, and I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli!”
The President caused furore among broccoli growers, effectively banning the vegetable from the White House, and even Air Force One… unsurprisingly, sales of the cruciferous favourite plummeted across the USA.
But perhaps the late President should have taken a closer look?
That’s because broccoli is just one example, although in fairness to the President, not the best example of a naturally occurring fractal.
So, what are fractals and why are they useful?
Fractals occur naturally and they are typified by the quality of ‘self-similarity’, in short, a small piece looks exactly the same as a big piece, it’s just a scaled down version. They are important, in fact they can be really important when it comes to mental wellbeing, with studies showing that exposure to fractals in nature can reduce stress levels by up to 60%.
We asked our friend Amanda Thoden van Velzen to explain a little more about fractals and their benefits, Amanda owns Calmer Thoughts, a hypnotherapy and mental wellbeing practice in Guildford and has recently been busy working with business owners delivering training on how to identify signs of stress in the workplace.
‘We know that studies into the science of biophilia have provided conclusive proof that human brains work better, and more efficiently when they are in contact with plants and nature, we also know that some shapes that naturally occur can have their own positive impact on mental wellbeing.
Psychology Today reported recently about research into fractal patterns on the human brain, this research involved eye-tracking and other significant measurements using MRI scans, early indications point conclusively towards the conclusion that humans are ‘hard-wired’ to respond to fractal patterns in nature.’
So what advice does Amanda have for us all?
‘I cannot recommend more highly a walk in nature as a form of exercise, my advice is to leave the head phones and Air Pods at home and really engage with your surroundings. Fractal rich environments in particular can have a noticeable effect on stress levels… and if you can’t get outside, take 10-20 minutes out of your day to look at, really look at some fractal patterns, drawings, images or yes… even a head of broccoli’. You can download fractal patterns as your phone or computer screen saver.
And finally… A University of Exeter study in 2017 showed that spending 120 minutes a week out in nature / green spaces is the optimum amount of time to benefit our health and well being, so if some of those minutes were spent really noticing fractal patterns then that could be an extra boost to our well being.
What I love about this is that these patterns are all around us, in abundant supply and totally free.’
So there you have it, who would have thought that we could get so much from broccoli… even without eating it.
