Last week, I visited Florida for a bit of fishing, beach strolling, and seashell hunting. The fishing was a wipe-out; I caught one pitiful fish that looked more like a grass snake. But just having some time on the edge of a coast, soaking up the lapping waves and watching tiny crabs scramble for cover, seemed to reshape my perspective. In a good way.
And my fellow beach-mates appeared to be in a similar frame of mind. There is no sense of urgency as people build sandcastles, wade, swim and walk outdoors. It’s as if we are collectively ticking to a different clock, the hours measured by the shifting sun and tide. As time slows, so pauses all the busy thoughts that occupy us otherwise. Is the brain responsible for why we are so drawn to outdoors in spaces blue and green?
You know where this is headed. It turns out that, indeed, exposure to nature is linked to all sorts of brain health benefits, including better attention, mood, and upticks in empathy. Past research has looked at green spaces and cognitive health and more recently has studied the effects of “blue space” – like rivers, oceans and lakes. Let’s see how it all adds up.
Nature Makes Us Pay Attention
Spending time outdoors and in nature, even with limited exposure, greases the cognitive gears and perks up attention. A 2019 review from the University of Chicago reported that green spaces near schools promote intellectual development in children while green views near children’s homes promoted self-control behaviors. Meanwhile, adults who were assigned to public housing units in neighborhoods with more green space demonstrated better attention than those assigned to units with less access to natural environments. Other research observations have found that being exposed to natural environments improves working memory, cognitive flexibility, and attentional control, while exposure to urban environments is linked to attention deficits.
Why do natural settings have a positive effect on cognition? One argument is an evolutionary one - our ancestors evolved in wild settings and therefore we have a built-in drive to connect with nature. Another theory suggests that spending time in nature triggers a physiological response that lowers stress levels. A third idea holds that nature replenishes one’s cognitive resources, restoring the ability to concentrate and pay attention.
It doesn’t take long for nature to work its magic on the brain. Australian researchers asked students to engage in a dull, attention-draining task requiring them to press a computer key whenever certain numbers flashed on a screen. Students who looked out at a flowering green roof for 40 seconds midway through the task made significantly fewer mistakes than students who paused for 40 seconds to gaze at a concrete rooftop.
Does Nature Make Us Happier?
Back in the day, we all played outside as kids; by the end of the summer, the soles of our bare feet were as tough as shoe leather. But a sad part of our world today is that children spend so much time inside (looking at a screen) rather than playing outdoors. In fact, the CDC reports that children ages eight to 10 spend an average of six hours per day in front of a screen. For kids ages 11 to 14, the number increases to nine hours a day!
Research suggests that when children get outside, it leaves a lasting impression on mental health. Danish researchers used satellite data to assess people’s exposure to green space from birth to age 10, which they compared with longitudinal data on individual mental health outcomes. The researchers examined data from more than 900,000 residents born between 1985 and 2003. They found that children who lived in neighborhoods with more green space had a reduced risk of many psychiatric disorders later in life, including depression, mood disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and substance use disorder. For those with the lowest levels of green space exposure during childhood, the risk of developing mental illness was 55% higher than for those who grew up with abundant green space.
If you absolutely must plant yourself in front of a screen every day, you’ll be interested to hear that scientists have begun exploring whether virtual reality nature experiences are beneficial. In a review of this work, researchers at the University of Exeter in England concluded that while the real deal is best, virtual reality can be a worthwhile substitute for people who are unable to get outdoors, such as those with mobility problems.
Blue Space Counts Too
While most of the nature effect has been studied in green spaces, other researchers are looking at blue space, including a variety of marine and freshwater environments. The conclusion? These spaces are not only good for well-being, they may be even more restorative than green spaces. Is it any surprise that so many of us are drawn to the waterfront?
Nature Makes You Nicer
Nature might also make us nicer—to other people as well as to the planet. In a Canadian study, undergraduates were shown either nature documentaries or videos about architectural landmarks. Then the participants played a fishing game in which they made decisions about how many fish to harvest across multiple seasons. Those who had watched the nature video were more likely to cooperate with other players. They were also more likely to make choices that would sustain the fish population. In another experiment, researchers found that elementary school children acted more positively to classmates and strangers after a field trip to a nature school than they did after a visit to an aviation museum.
All it Takes is Two Hours a Week
With so many benefits linked to nature, you might wonder: How much time outside is enough? A UK study has addressed that question by studying a sample of 20,000 adults across the United Kingdom. They found people who had spent at least two recreational hours in nature during the previous week reported significantly greater health and well-being. That pattern held true across subgroups including older adults and people with chronic health problems, and the effects were the same whether they got their dose of nature in a single 120-minute session or spread out over the course of the week.
I could go on and on, citing research that connects the feelings of contentment and self-worth with nature exposure, how it buffers loneliness and depression. (The references to such research are listed below). But I suspect most people, especially you explorers, gardeners, and neighborhood walkers, have already experienced the mood and mental health benefits that nature bestows.
What are you waiting for? Get OUT THERE!
Links to references in studies cited for this blog:
Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol. 28, No. 5, 2019).
Lee, K.E., et al., Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol. 42, No. 1, 2015
Engemann, K., et al., PNAS, Vol. 116, No. 11, 2019
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, Vol. 14, 2018
Gascon, M., et al., International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, Vol. 220, No. 8, 2017
Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol. 42, No. 1, 2015
Dopko, R.L., et al., Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol. 63, No. 1, 2019
Scientific Reports, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2019