What Makes Nature So Good for Us?

Many of us feel happier when we're outdoors.
But why is this? Is it because Nature does something to us?
Or is it just because we can put the daily grind behind us?

Benefits in a Nutshell

Being outdoors:

releases happy hormones, eg seratonin, boosting your mood
reduces feelings of anxiety and depression
brings down our blood pressure
boosts our immune systems and reduces inflammation
boosts creativity, helping you to problem-solve
encourages a sense of connectedness with the world, improving community and generosity and reducing loneliness
increases productivity, sharpens senses and cognition
reduces aggression
raises our self-esteem
makes us more resilient
improves our sleep quality

For more information on the benefits of being outside, check out MIND:

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/nature-and-mental-health/#

David Strayer, cognitive neuroscientist:

3 days in the wilderness sharpens senses, perspective and cognition

How Long Do I Need?

4-7 minutes: lowers heart rate and activates your 'rest and digest' system (parasympathetic nervous system)

15-30 minutes: lowers your stress hormones including cortisol, and boosts the happy hormones including seratonin. Self-esteem starts to rise. The immune system starts to notice the improvements.

45-50 minutes: stronger cognitive performance, reduced signs of anxiety and depression and further boosts to your immune system. Improved feelings of vitality and connection.

5 minutes is good

30 minutes is better

Best is when you combine nature and exercise

Tim Beatley's 'Nature Pyramid'

City living has been proven to increase stress, anxiety and aggression. Tim Beatley, University of Virginia, has devised a suggestion for an antidote to the noise, pollution and angular dwellings of living in a city. What do you think is achievable?

30 minutes: A healthy nature diet requires being outside at least part of each day, walking, strolling, sitting

Two hours: Weekly planned outings to surround yourself with nature

Once a month: a longer, more immersive excursion

Once or twice a year: a dose of pure wilderness

For more information, take a look at the following article:

https://www.thenatureofcities.com/2012/08/07/exploring-the-nature-pyramid/

Tim Beatley: Exposure to nature, direct personal contact with the natural world, is not an optional thing, but rather is a necessary and important element of a healthy human life

Between 2017 and 2022, people in the UK admitted to spending nearly 11 hours more inside each week

https://www.forestholidays.co.uk/30-statistics-mental-health-benefits-of-outdoors/

Downside of Being Indoors

Research shows that if you spend most of your time indoors:

You're less able to concentrate and get distracted more easily
You're less productive
You're more irritable
Your memory is less sharp
It's harder to problem-solve
You're less creative
You you have a greater tendency towards rumination and unhelpful introspection
You have a greater inclination towards narcissism
You're less resilient
You're more likely to be near-sighted or myopic

PEOPLE IN MODERN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES SPEND ABOUT 90% OF TIME INDOORS

We're WIRED to thrive in Nature

Our brains find it easier, and less stressful, to process the colours green and blue
Shapes with rounded edges (leaves/hills) soothe our brains compared to angular shapes (buildings)
Our sense of smell is more directly linked with our brains than other senses
Our brains process fractal patterns (patterns that keep repeating) more easily, as they help our eyes and brain filter out unnecessary information.

We live our lives with our evolutionary past - or rather, it lives through us.

Sue Stuart-Smith, the Well Gardened Mind