Surfing Pelicans
Photo: Jeff Johnson
What?
Watch pelicans surf on the waves. Yes, pelicans surf. Ask any surfer and they’ll confirm it.
Why?
First, it’s amazingly beautiful to watch pelicans glide so gracefully along the tops of waves. Second, there’s actually a concept in neuroscience called smooth pursuit tracking, which is our ability to track objects with our eyes smoothly as they move through space. Practicing this regularly can help strengthen the extra ocular muscles around our eyes, which can help improve our vision. If you do this around sunrise or sunset, it can also help train your circadian rhythm.
How to?
Go to the beach.
Watch the waves and scan the horizon for pelicans.
Once you see the pelicans, train your eyes on them and follow them with your gaze as they glide along the waves.
Repeat this for 5-10 minutes.
Protips:
To habit stack, go barefoot on the beach so you can also get some grounding.
I’ve noticed morning hours seem to be best but anytime of day is possible.
Don’t look directly into the sun, it can ruin your retina. Duh.
The Rabbit Hole (References for People Who Like to Geek Out)
Huberman, A [@Hubermanlab]. (2020 April 9). “Morning and evening sunlight is especially important and powerful, when it comes to activating the biological circuits that support mental [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-w7GP7nwwk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Huberman, A. (Host). (2021 June 14). The science of vision, eye health & seeing better (No. 24) [Video podcast episode]. In Huberman Lab. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObtW353d5i0&t=3965s Timestamp: 1:06:10
Patterson, S.S., Kuchenbecker, J.A., Anderson, J.R., Neitz, M., Neitz, J. (2020). A Color Vision Circuit for Non-Image-Forming Vision in the Primate Retina. Current Biology, 30(7), 1269-1274.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.01.040
Rivera, A.M., Huberman A.D. (2020). Neuroscience: A Chromatic Retinal Circuit Encodes Sunrise and Sunset for the Brain. Current Biology, 30(7), R316-R318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.02.090
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