Article: Why Nature?

Why does being outdoors, in nature, have such a big impact on us?

What is it about wide open countryside, or atmospheric woods, that give us a kick or a glow and generally makes us feel happier, healthier and more creative?

Many people are aware that being outside does something to us. Some of us have gardens where we like to potter about, seeing our plants grow. Some of us like sitting on the beach in the sunshine, listening to the sounds of the waves. Some of us like to be at the top of a big hill, feeling proud that we’ve achieved the climb. Some of us like to walk the dog in the nearby woods, with no one else around, but our footsteps and the sounds of the wind rustling through the tops of the trees.

There is no wrong or right way of getting out into nature. In fact, what is ‘Nature’? This might mean something different to every reader.

How would you describe nature?

Is it being on holiday, walking in the mountains, feeling small in comparison to the mountains?

Perhaps it’s the detail of all the flowers as you walk through a National Trust garden on a summer’s day.

Is it the basket of geraniums on your tiny city windowsill? Or maybe the vast expanse of the Amazon jungle that you’ve seen in films but never experienced in real life.

So, while there is no wrong or right way of getting out into nature, the answer to ‘what is Nature’ is, in fact, all of these.

Whatever nature is to you, it makes you feel good. It brings down your heart rate, it soothes anxiety and it boosts your immune system, among a host of other benefits.

Sometimes it just makes us fell happier and more energised.

Why is this? What does it do to us? How does it do this?

There are a number of theories as to why nature has such a profound impact on us.

As you read through, why don’t you picture your favourite nature spot – imagine yourself walking through that forest, or sitting on that hill – and ask yourself if each of these ideas make sense to you:

1.        Attention Restoration Theory

The Attention Restoration Theory (ART) was coined by Stephen and Rachel Kaplan who argued that being in Nature helps us to lighten our mental load, and take a break from what’s on our minds. It helps us think more clearly. It does this by giving us something to focus on other than our every-day lives in a way that is calming yet still invigorating. Our brains can pay attention to what is around us, without any real effort. Doing this helps rest the part of our brain that is always thinking and calculating and making decisions and… (it’s exhausting just writing that). In doing so, our thinking becomes clearer and we are better able to solve problems.

2.        Biophilia Biophilia means ‘love of life/living things’. EO Wilson, biologist, naturalist ecologist and entomologist, wrote a book called ‘Biophilia’ in the 1980s. He suggested that humans have an innate connection with nature that is necessary for a healthy, balanced life. The term ‘Biophilia’ was first coined in the 1960s by psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, who said ‘Many modern ills are linked to the loss of our unconscious kinship with the natural world, leading to a level of unrecognised ‘separation distress’.Where the ART theory means that nature has a more proactive role on our minds and bodies, Biophilia suggests that nature has a more reactive role on us – that is, we react to nature unconsciously. Just being in nature means that our minds and bodies recognise where we’re ‘supposed to be’, and starts to heal our bodies by reducing stress and blood pressure and bringing equilibrium to our immune system.

3.        Connection As homo sapiens, our brains are wired for social connection. There is plenty of research in the press at the moment that tells us that we are happier – and live longer – if we have a strong social support network. Connection to people and place share an evolutionary pathway, so that connection with nature makes us more able to connect with people, which, in evolutionary terms, is in our best interests. If you think about it, when we were still hunter gatherers, the ability to form strong social bonds helped us find food and defend ourselves.

4.        Brain Hemispheres The left hand side of our brain is where we do most of our rational thinking. We use the left side of our brains when we make decisions, for example. By doing so, we narrow our focus – if you squint with your eyes to see better, and focus on something in the distance, you get a good idea of what the left hand side of our brain is doing. Modern humans use the left hand side of our brains about 80% of the time. The trouble with spending so much time in this side of the brain is that we remain fairly superficial. It’s hard to feel and ‘be’. The right hand side of our brain is used for connecting with people, including ourselves. It is in using this right hand side of our brain that we can feel our emotions and empathise with others. If we do not use this side of our brains enough, we start to lack depth and meaning. The imbalance can increase the effects of anxiety and depression (Side note – our brains are extremely complex and the examples above fairly simplistic. There will be times when we use the right hand side of our brains for decision-making, for example. The brain processes for neurodivergent people, for example, may work slightly differently. Our brains are wonderfully complex creatures.)

5.        Fractals One of the more interesting ways that nature works on our brains is by making it easier to see and process what we’re looking at. Our brains work by noticing the big ticket items first, and then starting to notice detail in ever decreasing size. The best example of this is a tree – think of the big fat trunk as being the first thing you notice. After that you notice the branches coming out of that, leading to the smaller branches and twigs and finally to the blossom or leaves. Fractals are found all over nature, from the branching of rivers, to seashells and flowers, and even within ourselves in our lungs and neurons. Fractal patterns like this make it easier for us to notice what’s around us, and for our brains to quickly filter out those things that aren’t important at the time. Our brains do this automatically. Being in urban areas, or cities, with their sharp angles and straight lines, our brains have to work harder to understand what we’re looking at and filter out anything unnecessary. All of this happens ‘behind the scenes’ in the brain, so that we’re not usually aware of what’s happening. Therefore being in nature will sub-consciously be easier for us and make us less tired and stressed.

6.        Greens and Blues If you think of being outside in nature, whether you’re in the jungle or at the beach, what colours do you think of? Generally it’s green and blue – the grass, the sea, the trees, the sky….Because, as a species, we’ve ‘grown up’ in nature, and therefore with these predominant colours, our physiology is more calm and relaxed with them. For green, our retinas are most sensitive to its light wavelength, reducing eye strain. Blue is associated with relaxation and rest, and can reduce heart rate.

7.        Other Ways that Nature Helps us The list of how nature is good for us is likely to be endless… Walking in nature reduces the amount of bloodflow to the area of your brain where you can ruminate and spend ages thinking about that one thing you said five years ago. Being in nature helps you to feel ‘awe’ – perhaps at the sheer scale of it, such as a thunderstorm, or an endless desert. Awe has been well researched, and if you often experience (and practice) awe – a bit like gratitude – it is documented to help you feel happier, and suffer less from anxiety and depression. * For some people, being in nature means exercising – walking/climbing/kayaking – and exercise is crucial for our physical and emotional wellbeing.

When you’re out in nature, you don’t have to remember all the ways that it works on you to help you feel happier and more restful. Most of it is subconscious – therefore even if you don’t notice much when you’re walking along a path between two fields, nature notices you, and works with you.

Perhaps next time you have 10 minutes to yourself, sit outside and think to yourself – what do I notice? Focus on your senses – what colours can you see? Are you looking at curves (hills/petals/clouds) or sharp angles? Can you hear birdsong?