Mental Health and Nature
June 5th is World Environment Day. World Environment Day marks a time to celebrate the beautiful planet we live on and to learn about how we as a species are responsible for her care. There are many reasons why maintaining a healthy environment in the places we frequent is important, but one I myself barely considered was that it good for our mental wellbeing! It may seem intuitive that nature makes us feel better, but the emerging science of just how beneficial it can be is astounding. Evidence will only continue to grow, but take a look below to see some of the knowledge about the effects nature that we already have!
1) Nature is Good for Your Brain
Many studies have been conducted demonstrating the cognitive benefits of nature. From increasing focus, working memory, and problem solving, to decreasing stress and it’s related effects. One study showed that students who took a break to look at nature mid-testing performed better than those who didn’t. It has also been shown through scans of the brain that exposure to nature decreases cortisol levels (our stress hormone).
2) Nature Increases Happiness
In self-reported studies, those participants who ranked themselves as spending more time outdoors also rated themselves happier in over-all life. This phenomenon appeared in participants who shared that they spend 2 or more hours in nature per week. More studies are being done to determine if there is a set threshold to experience these benefits, but until there is more data, I think 2 hours is a great goal for each of us to spend outdoors!
3) Nature Makes Us Feel Connected
There is evidence that spending more time in nature increases our empathy for one-another. It also is shown to increase our sense of meaning or purpose in life, as well as increases our sense of connectedness even in participants with low social or community connection.
4) Nature Images and Sounds Have the Same Effect
A lot of these benefits have also been found in studies that simply test participants after exposure to audio or visual representations of nature. This means that the rejuvenating effects can still be attained by those with reduced access to outdoor spaces. You can put photos or artwork of nature in your home, listen to nature sounds while at work, or take a break from studying to watch a short nature video!
Interest in taking care of our natural world is growing, and at a critical time too. Researchers continue to explore the effects that nature has on us, therefore scientific evidence will only continue to grow as well. Traditional ways of knowing in peoples around the world have recognized this truth for thousands of years. In an increasingly modern and technological world, it is becoming abundantly clear that we need to put specific effort into maintaining our natural environment and attaining enough time in those places. This will be for the benefit and wellbeing of ourselves and of our beautiful planet.
