6th October 2025

Why Your Brain Needs Novelty 

You don’t always need a big escape. Sometimes, you just need a small disruption.

You’ve probably felt it lately – that sense of restlessness that’s hard to name.

You’re not quite burnt out. But you’re not fully here, either.
You move through the motions. You keep the calendar full.
But something’s… missing. A spark, a lift, a breath.

And the instinct?
Plan a holiday. A real one.
The kind with airfares and itineraries and ocean views.

But here’s the surprising truth:
Your nervous system doesn’t always need a grand escape.
It needs a small interruption.

A short, novel experience.
A shift in scenery.
A day where the script is unwritten.

The science of novelty (and why it makes us feel alive)

Studies from cognitive neuroscience are now backing what many of us instinctively feel after a spontaneous day hike or road trip: novelty resets the brain.

Dopamine, the “motivation molecule,” is triggered not just by pleasure, but by newness.
According to Dr. Emrah Düzel at University College London, novel stimuli increase activity in the hippocampus and midbrain – areas tied to memory, reward, and learning.

This means your brain literally lights up when you encounter something unfamiliar.

Whether it’s wandering a new street or walking a trail you’ve never explored, these small changes:

• Improve mood 
• Boost motivation 
• Spark creativity 
• Regulate your nervous system 

A 2020 study published in Nature Neuroscience linked daily changes in physical location with increased emotional wellbeing and cognitive flexibility. Participants who ventured even slightly beyond their usual routes experienced greater positivity and mental clarity.

Routine keeps us alive. Novelty makes us feel alive.

In a culture obsessed with optimisation and routine, it’s easy to forget this.

Many of us spend our days in hyper-productive cycles. We care for others. We tick boxes. We push for more.

And yet, despite appearances, we often feel hollowed out.

This state, what I call Silent Burnout,  is often misdiagnosed as a need for more rest, or more balance.
But what we really need is a reconnection to meaning. To aliveness.

That’s what short adventures, like guided hikes near Perth, or unplanned nature walks, offer.

They’re not just activities. They’re interruptions of pattern. And that’s where change begins.

Why small adventures work better than big holidays

Now don’t get me wrong. Long holidays have their place.
But for many of us, they come with their own stressors:

• Expensive, hard to plan 
• High expectations 
• Over-scheduling 
• Exhausting return to “normal life” 

In contrast, micro-adventures (a term popularised by British adventurer Alastair Humphreys) offer something more immediate, sustainable, and powerful:

• Low effort, high impact
• Restorative, not depleting
• Local, affordable, accessible
• Regularly repeatable

Psychologists at the University of Derby found that people who spent just 2 hours a week in nature reported significantly higher wellbeing and lower stress, regardless of the size or grandeur of the adventure.

In other words:
It’s not about how far you go. It’s about how present you are.

Restoring through ritual and rhythm

At The Hike Collective, our entire philosophy is built on this truth.

We’ve guided thousands of hikers across Western Australia with one goal in mind:
Help people return to themselves through the wild.

Our Method is grounded in neuroscience, behaviour design, and presence-based facilitation. We blend:

• Nervous system regulation through movement 
• Belonging and group safety 
• Playful reflection and guided prompts 
• Awe-inducing landscapes 
• Moments of ritual and rest 

All so that one short hike becomes more than a walk.
It becomes a pattern interruption. A moment of reconnection.
A new neural path carved by your boots.

Try this: 5 ways to introduce novelty into your week (starting now)

If you’re craving that reset but can’t plan a holiday right now, try these:

1. Take a different route home – Drive or walk a new way. Notice what you normally miss. 
2. Join a guided hike – Remove the mental load. Let yourself be led. 
3. Unplug for a day – Leave your phone and let presence return. 
4. Explore a new part of your city – Act like a tourist where you live. 
5. Invite a friend for a sunrise adventure – It’s harder to feel stuck when the light is changing. 

Each of these is small. But their impact can be surprisingly large.

The real shift? Identity, not itinerary.

One of the greatest transformations we see in our community is not physical fitness or even reduced stress (though both happen). It’s identity.

From: “I should get outside more.”
To: “I’m someone who explores.”

It’s subtle but powerful.

And it begins not with a dramatic life overhaul, but with a single step into the unfamiliar.

Disruption doesn’t need to be dramatic

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to feel more alive — here’s the good news:

It doesn’t take a plane ticket or perfect plan.
Just one decision to step outside the loop.

Your brain and your heart are wired for it.

Explore upcoming guided hikes near Perth
Nature is calling. And it’s closer than you think.

About the Author: Kate Gibson is the founder of The Hike Collective – a wellness tour company on a mission to help guests slow down, reconnect, and rediscover joy through guided hikes in wild spaces. Her work blends neuroscience, nature, and soul to create transformative outdoor experiences that feel both grounded and alive.