The majority of people, if given the opportunity, would gladly spend an afternoon taking a leisurely stroll in the park, on the beach, or in the forest, listening to the soothing sounds of Mother Nature. Those same people may feel guilty later on for doing so. A colleague may ask where you were the other day, we missed you at work. And you say, “Oh I was laying in the meadow wondering about nothing at all really.” Then you catch yourself. You have said too much. “Wasting time and all that nonsense,” a voice somewhere calls out, “now don’t you feel just terrible?”
Science and Nature
What if we told you these excursions in nature were doing your mental health real good? A growing body of research agrees, and part of you already knows it. Structured time in nature, such as gardening or outdoor walks, has been shown to ease depression and anxiety (Coventry et al., 2021). Early research on effects on the immune system is promising, but still limited (Andersen et al., 2021). Researchers are still working out exactly why nature helps.
The Two Faces of Nature
Ah, nature. It can be peaceful, romantic and refreshing. And, as we are regularly reminded, it also has another face, one that is violent, powerful and destructive. Our contemporary, regimented lives shield us from the darker aspects of nature, for the most part. While the modern way of life does make us safer, it is also progressively removing us from the natural world. A growing number of health programs now “prescribe” time in nature (Nguyen et al., 2023), and researchers warn that as our contact with nature shrinks, we lose the benefits it brings (Soga & Gaston, 2016).
Nature-Based Mental Health Research
In one of the earliest studies on the subject, surgical patients whose hospital windows looked out on trees went home sooner, and needed fewer strong painkillers, than matched patients whose windows faced a brick wall (Ulrich, 1984). Anyone surprised by this?
Mental Health Benefits
Where does mental health fit in? Studies link even brief time in nature with better mood, and some find modest gains in attention (McMahan & Estes, 2015; Ohly et al., 2016). A review of 11 small studies found that a walk or run outdoors in nature was linked to less tension, confusion, anger and depression right afterward than the same exercise indoors (Thompson Coon et al., 2011). And in a survey of more than 1,500 adults in Brisbane, Australia, people who spent 30 minutes or more in green space during the week had lower rates of depression and high blood pressure (Shanahan et al., 2016).
However, why is that? It seems like some of the impacts are more mental than physical. Our worries can take on less weight when we immerse ourselves in natural scenes. Vast natural scenes can inspire awe, which research links to feeling “smaller” and less self-focused (Piff et al., 2015), and early studies connect awe in nature with better well-being and fewer stress symptoms (Anderson et al., 2018).
Scientific Insights
Modern technology has also given scientists a window into how our brains respond to natural environments. Researchers in South Korea used functional MRI to watch people’s brains as they viewed city and natural scenes. The two kinds of scene activated different parts of the brain, and 93% of the participants described the natural views as comfortable (Kim et al., 2010).
In a Stanford study, people took a 90-minute walk either through grassland with scattered oaks or along a busy multi-lane road. Afterward, the nature walkers reported less rumination, the repetitive negative thinking common in depression, and brain scans showed reduced activity in a region linked to it. The city walkers showed no such change (Bratman et al., 2015).
At Mental Health Residential, time outdoors is part of every day: daily walks and hikes in the pines, with staff.
The studies are listed below if you want to read them for yourself. Or use your time more selfishly and take a walk in the woods. You owe it to yourself.
References
Anderson, C. L., Monroy, M., & Keltner, D. (2018). Awe in nature heals: Evidence from military veterans, at-risk youth, and college students. Emotion, 18(8), 1195–1202. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000442
Andersen, L., Corazon, S. S. S., & Stigsdotter, U. K. K. (2021). Nature exposure and its effects on immune system functioning: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1416. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041416
Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., Hahn, K. S., Daily, G. C., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(28), 8567–8572. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1510459112
Coventry, P. A., Brown, J. E., Pervin, J., Brabyn, S., Pateman, R., Breedvelt, J., Gilbody, S., Stancliffe, R., McEachan, R., & White, P. L. (2021). Nature-based outdoor activities for mental and physical health: Systematic review and meta-analysis. SSM – Population Health, 16, 100934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100934
Kim, G.-W., Jeong, G.-W., Kim, T.-H., Baek, H.-S., Oh, S.-K., Kang, H.-K., Lee, S.-G., Kim, Y. S., & Song, J.-K. (2010). Functional neuroanatomy associated with natural and urban scenic views in the human brain: 3.0T functional MR imaging. Korean Journal of Radiology, 11(5), 507–513. https://doi.org/10.3348/kjr.2010.11.5.507
McMahan, E. A., & Estes, D. (2015). The effect of contact with natural environments on positive and negative affect: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 10(6), 507–519. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2014.994224
Nguyen, P.-Y., Astell-Burt, T., Rahimi-Ardabili, H., & Feng, X. (2023). Effect of nature prescriptions on cardiometabolic and mental health, and physical activity: A systematic review. The Lancet Planetary Health, 7(4), e313–e328. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00025-6
Ohly, H., White, M. P., Wheeler, B. W., Bethel, A., Ukoumunne, O. C., Nikolaou, V., & Garside, R. (2016). Attention Restoration Theory: A systematic review of the attention restoration potential of exposure to natural environments. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 19(7), 305–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/10937404.2016.1196155
Piff, P. K., Dietze, P., Feinberg, M., Stancato, D. M., & Keltner, D. (2015). Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(6), 883–899. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000018
Shanahan, D. F., Bush, R., Gaston, K. J., Lin, B. B., Dean, J., Barber, E., & Fuller, R. A. (2016). Health benefits from nature experiences depend on dose. Scientific Reports, 6, 28551. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep28551
Soga, M., & Gaston, K. J. (2016). Extinction of experience: The loss of human–nature interactions. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 14(2), 94–101. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1225
Thompson Coon, J., Boddy, K., Stein, K., Whear, R., Barton, J., & Depledge, M. H. (2011). Does participating in physical activity in outdoor natural environments have a greater effect on physical and mental wellbeing than physical activity indoors? A systematic review. Environmental Science & Technology, 45(5), 1761–1772. https://doi.org/10.1021/es102947t
Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224(4647), 420–421. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.6143402