Michael Bond investigates the seemingly unlikely connection between design and neuroscience. IF YOU THINK of yourself as a 'city mouse', no doubt you relish the fast pace of life, the hum of the streets, and unpredictable interactions with strangers that can leave 'country mice' bemused or horrified. This buzz is a large part of the attraction, and the reason why cities tend to be hotbeds of innovation and creativity. But beware: city-living may not be all good for your brain. Recent studies suggest the very stimulation that helps foster ingenuity can result in a kind of cognitive overload, when the effort required to phase out unwanted distractions reduces our capacity for things such as memory formation, attention and self-control.
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