My theory about why museums are exhausting...

After walking for hours on end in the old cities and old buildings of Europe, still alert and full of energy, I would step into a museum or gallery and within minutes feel exhausted. The only obvious difference is the utter flatness of the gallery floors. The body is designed to move over uneven surfaces. The subtle microadjustements in balance and centering keep the system alert and aware. This article confirms the importance of uneven surfaces, and shows future gallery designers the way to keeping audiences alert!

for the complete article http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8B9D7DG0.html

Excerpts below:

By WILLIAM McCALL Associated Press Writer

July 11,2005 | PORTLAND, Ore. -- The path to better health and lower blood pressure may be paved with cobblestones. When people over 60 walked on smooth, rounded cobblestones for just a half-hour a day over four months, they significantly lowered their blood pressure and improved their balance, a study showed.

Behavioral researchers from the Oregon Research Institute investigated the health effects of cobblestones after observing people exercising and walking back and forth over traditional stone paths in China.

"We noticed in several cities we visited that people were walking on cobblestone paths, and people were standing on them, and sometimes dancing on them, doing weight-shifting," said John Fisher, who led the study at the institute in Eugene.

"We thought if we could scientifically measure it, we could see if there were health benefits," he said.

...

Nearly all the 108 volunteers in the study said they felt better after the exercise. But only the half who walked the cobblestones showed significant improvement in balance, measures of mobility and blood pressure, Fisher said.

He said the cobblestone walking paths are common in China, where traditional medicine teaches that the uneven surface of the stones stimulate "acupoints" on the soles of the feet. The theory is much like acupuncture, suggesting that distant and unrelated areas of the body are linked together at certain points and can be stimulated to improve physical and mental health.

Although cobblestone-walking is rooted in centuries of Chinese tradition, no controlled scientific studies had been done to evaluate its potential benefits and effectiveness until recently, Fisher noted.

Fay Horak, an Oregon Health & Science University neurophysiologist who specializes in balance, said the study is evidence that finding ways to maintain mobility and balance can delay and even prevent the effects of aging.

"I'm not surprised that working on balance improved balance," Horak said. "There's a lot of evidence that shows no matter who you are, it improves if you challenge it."

...

Ellison, the hypertension expert, said he would like to see a larger study to compare results but called the initial findings were promising.

"It certainly suggests there is something real about the cobblestones," Ellison said.

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On the Net:

Oregon Research Institute: http://www.ori.org