Soil Bacteria May Aid Learning, Increase Happiness
Scientists have provided another reason why people should go out and enjoy the outdoors.
Research at the The Sage Colleges in New York suggests that being exposed to a natural soil bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae can make people smarter and happier. In an experiment, scientists showed that the mice fed with this bacteria navigated a maze faster and demonstrated less anxiety behaviors than other mice. This bacteria was already known to have antidepressant qualities and the experiment shows that it can increase learning behavior too. Yet another reason to encourage your kids to enjoy the outdoors.
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