In a TikTok video that has now collected nearly half a million views, the influence r Mady Maio describes taking a walk. But not just any walk: a silent one. For her, the 30-minute stroll was inspiring. She was resistant at first. "My anxiety could never disappear," she said in the video. Ms. Maio described the first two minutes as mental "mayhem"（一团乱麻）that eventually gave way to a "flow state". Her brain fog lifted. Ideas started popping into her head because she was "giving them space to enter".

And a 2020 study in The Journal of Environmental Psychology found that a 30-minute walk in an urban park reduced the amount of time that people dwelled on negative thoughts. Walking has also been shown to improve creativity and help fend off depression.

But for some people, the idea of a silent walk might seem painful. One 2014 study found that, if left with no other option, people would shock themselves rather than sit alone with their thoughts. "Most people seem to prefer to be doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is negative," the study authors wrote.

Walking, however, can make it more pleasant to spend time with ourselves, experts say. Erin C. Westgate, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Florida in Gainesville who studies boredom, found in her research that being in transit, which included walking or riding public transportation, was one of the times when people most often reported having enjoyable thoughts.

If the idea of daydreaming seems luxurious, it may be because our attention spans have shrinked over the last two decades. Back in 2004, however, Dr. Mark found that people could spend an average of two and a half minutes on email before turning to another work task. "Continually flipping our attention from one task to another is draining," Dr. Mark said.

But a silent walk can help replenish our "tank" so that we have a greater reserve of mental energy, she added. In other words, disconnecting for a while can actually help us perform better. In a future-oriented society we need opportunities to be satisfied with the here and now, Dr. Levy said, and drop the pressure to be productive. "There is great beauty and aliveness in the world outside of whatever it is we're doing on our devices." Dr. Levy said.