How walking affects the psyche

More than just exercise How walking affects the psyche As of: October 29, 2026 • 6:45 a.m

A walk can be particularly good, especially now in autumn. Studies show that regular walking can improve mood, health and social connections. Walking clubs have formed in some cities.

The writer Erich Kästner already wrote in his poem "Exemplary Autumn Night": "The sky is cold and wide. It has snowed on the Milky Way. You hear your steps wandering as if they were the steps of others, and you walk with yourself in pairs."

It sounds as if Kästner wanted to say: A walk like this in the fresh autumn air can make you feel a little less lonely in cold times. And from a scientific point of view, that's not all that bad.

Participants from the Dresden Walking Club walk across Theaterplatz in Dresden in the evening.

"Do you want to go with us?" is written on the white T-shirt of the blonde, young woman. Her name is Julia, she's in her mid-20s, she's studying psychology - and she's one of the organizers of the Leipzig walking club. Dozens, if not hundreds, of people regularly register to walk through the city together. Can't they do it alone? Sure, says Julia.

But: "People say that they have found a group of friends out of the walking club, that they go out to dinner and to parties, and that fills the heart and is exactly what the idea behind the walking club was."

Young, active, in a big city and still alone? A new trend is taking shape to combat loneliness among young people - the so-called walking clubs. We took a walk in Leipzig. mdr

There are no reliable figures on how many walking clubs there are in Germany. The whole thing often happens in a rather informal and relaxed way: someone posts a call in the online network of their choice, states the meeting point and time, and people come, sometimes a handful, sometimes a few hundred, sometimes it's about "dog walking", sometimes specific target groups are addressed, for example at the "muDDi Club" in Dresden.

If this works, these walking clubs would alleviate an important problem. According to the TK Loneliness Report 2024, 59 percent of those surveyed say they have ever felt lonely. The proportion of single households is growing and is at a good 42 percent across Germany, reports the Federal Statistical Office. Of course, a distinction must be made: Not everyone who lives alone is unhappy. But: aging and rural exodus increase the risk of loneliness.

The later young adults enter into their first serious relationship, the more their satisfaction decreases, according to a study. more

And when it comes to negative feelings and life situations such as loneliness, taking a walk seems like a good idea. This is suggested by several studies, such as a study of 317 young adults published in the journal “Nature” in 2024.

Their activity in everyday life was observed (with the help of activity sensors), their social contacts, brain scans were also carried out and they recorded information about mood and well-being in a diary. The first finding was not surprising: loneliness worsened the test subjects' mood.

This makes finding number two all the more exciting: activity could mitigate the negative effects of the feeling of loneliness and the actual lack of social contacts, with even small amounts being enough to achieve an effect - for example: going for a walk.

But how is it that a walk can have such a healing effect on our psyche? “I believe that we are not actually designed to sit at a desk or fly around in an airplane,” says Jan Mersch. He is a psychologist and mountain guide and brings both together in his concept "People and Mountains", in which he combines therapeutic help with mountain hikes.

Mersch also speaks of a “break from broadcasting” that one takes while going for a walk. He lists the effects: "A positive influence on pulse and blood pressure can be seen, stress hormones are reduced, our breathing normalizes, chronic stressors decrease, pain decreases."

It obviously makes a difference where you take your walk. A Chinese study from the summer of 2026 had two test groups walk for 30 minutes each: one ran through an urban forest area, the others stayed indoors and used a treadmill for their walk. Result: Those who went outside had lower cortisol levels afterwards, felt better and were able to concentrate better. This effect did not occur in those who exercised indoors.

And: “outside” is not the same as “outside”. In a Stanford study, two groups were formed that went for a walk for one and a half hours: one in the countryside, the other in an urban environment. Those who had been out and about in the countryside subsequently showed a significantly reduced tendency to ruminate and reduced activity in areas of the brain that are associated with negative thought spirals and an increased risk of depression.

Spring-like weather entices you to take a walk in the parks. This has major effects on health. more

The walking clubs serve a trend. In fact, the corona pandemic is apparently still having an impact here: During the lockdowns, bars, cinemas and restaurants were closed or at least only accessible under certain conditions. This apparently led to many people discovering walking for themselves - and at least sticking with it to some extent. A comprehensive mobility study by the TU Dresden, for which researchers analyzed the movement behavior of people in 30 German cities, shows: The number of distances covered on foot increased significantly between 2018 (i.e. before Corona) and 2023 (after the pandemic).

This topic in the program: The First | daily topics | Oct 19, 2026 | 10:15 p.m