Jayney's Blog

Have you ever been awed by the beauty of a mountain or ocean?  Have you ever been excited to see a wild animal in its natural habitat?  Have you ever stopped to admire a lovely flower or tree? If so, you will understand how nature can impact our wellbeing. 

By nature, we mean the natural world and the nested ecosystems within it. This is the “non-built” world of water, air, earth, vegetation, and animals. Humans are part of nature and interact constantly with it in many ways—on the molecular and the larger systems level.

This interaction is deeply beneficial to humans, especially with the growing prevalence of depression caused by “nature deprivation,” which is largely due to increasing time spent in front of televisions and computers. Apart from meeting some of our most basic needs, nature relaxes and refreshes us.  We find nature deeply healing.  And in turn, to reap maximum benefit, we need to work to heal nature.

How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?

Research reveals that environments can increase or reduce our stress, which in turn impacts our bodies. What you are seeing, hearing, experiencing at any moment is changing not only your mood, but how your nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are working.

The stress of an unpleasant environment can cause you to feel anxious, or sad, or helpless. This in turn elevates your blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension and suppresses your immune system. A pleasing environment reverses that.

And regardless of age or culture, humans find nature pleasing. In one study cited in the book Healing Gardens, researchers found that more than two-thirds of people choose a natural setting to retreat to when stressed.   

Nature heals

Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. It may even reduce mortality, according to scientists such as public health researchers Stamatakis and Mitchell.

Research done in hospitals, offices, and schools has found that even a simple plant in a room can have a significant impact on stress and anxiety.

Nature soothes

In addition, nature helps us cope with pain. Because we are genetically programmed to find trees, plants, water, and other nature elements engrossing, we are absorbed by nature scenes and distracted from our pain and discomfort.

This is nicely demonstrated in a now classic study of patients who underwent gallbladder surgery; half had a view of trees and half had a view of a wall. According to the physician who conducted the study, Robert Ulrich, the patients with the view of trees tolerated pain better, appeared to nurses to have fewer negative effects, and spent less time in a hospital. More recent studies have shown similar results with scenes from nature andplants in hospital rooms. 

Nature restores

One of the most intriguing areas of current research is the impact of nature on general wellbeing. In one study in Mind, 95% of those interviewed said their mood improved after spending time outside, changing from depressed, stressed, and anxious to more calm and balanced. Other studies by Ulrich, Kim, and Cervinka show that time in nature or scenes of nature are associated with a positive mood, and psychological wellbeing, meaningfulness, and vitality.

Furthermore, time in nature or viewing nature scenes increases our ability to pay attention. Because humans find nature inherently interesting, we can naturally focus on what we are experiencing out in nature. This also provides a respite for our overactive minds, refreshing us for new tasks.

In another interesting area, Andrea Taylor’s research on children with ADHD shows that time spent in nature increases their attention span later.   

Nature connects

According to a series of field studies conducted by Kuo and Coley at the Human-Environment Research Lab, time spent in nature connects us to each other and the larger world. Another study at the University of Illinois suggests that residents in Chicago public housing who had trees and green space around their building reported knowing more people, having stronger feelings of unity with neighbors, being more concerned with helping and supporting each other, and having stronger feelings of belonging than tenants in buildings without trees. In addition to this greater sense of community, they had a reduced risk of street crime, lower levels of violence and aggression between domestic partners, and a better capacity to cope with life’s demands, especially the stresses of living in poverty.

This experience of connection may be explained by studies that used fMRI to measure brain activity.  When participants viewed nature scenes, the parts of the brain associated with empathy and love lit up, but when they viewed urban scenes, the parts of the brain associated with fear and anxiety were activated. It appears as though nature inspires feelings that connect us to each other and our environment.

Too much time in front of screens is deadly

“Nature deprivation,” a lack of time in the natural world, largely due to hours spent in front of TV or computer screens, has been associated, unsurprisingly, with depression. More unexpected are studies by Weinstein and others that associate screen time with loss of empathy and lack of altruism. 

And the risks are even higher than depression and isolation. In a 2011 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, time in front of a screen was associated with a higher risk of death, and that was independent of physical activity!   

Introduced by biologist Edward O. Wilson in 1984, the term “biophilia” refers to the idea that humans are innately connected to nature. Wilson believed that physically, we are, like all life forms, chemically related to the Earth, and the Earth is hard-wired into our chemistry.  In fact, it has been discovered that the very bacterial organisms in the earth are intrinsically related to our propensity to develop chronic inflammation and to brain and emotional health.  When disconnected from these we become profoundly sick.

The Mayo Clinic recommends limiting children’s exposure to screens—including computers, televison, hand-held devices, and video games—to two hours per day. More than that can have serious consequences, including obesity, behavioral problems, irregular sleep, violent tendencies, poor academic performance, and dampened creativity.

Instead, encourage your child to engage with nature, whether that’s playing an outdoor sport, reading next to a window, or taking a walk around the block.

Enhance Your Wellbeing In Nature

As we noted earlier, nature reduces our anger, fear, and depression and increases our positive mood and psychological wellbeing. This not only increases our happiness, it makes us feel better physically.  

Time in nature also brings us out of ourselves and our narrow concerns and connects us to a larger world where we find beauty and interest. Thus the environment is connected not only to our physical, emotional, and spiritual health, but to purpose and community.

So it is clear that it is important to get outside! If you can get to the country, or a lake, that’s wonderful. But even if you live in an urban area, spend time in your yard or find a park or a greenspace with trees and bushes. Go outside on your lunch hour if you can to get a “breath of fresh air” and give your mind a break. You should find more energy for your afternoon mental tasks.

“Green” your exercise

We all know the long list of physical, mental, and emotional benefits of exercise. Exercise improves attention in the young and cognitive functioning in the old. It reduces stress and acts as an antidepressant. And of course, exercise is key if we would to avoid gaining weight, especially as we grow older. But much as we know all these benefits, we can’t always motivate ourselves to exercise regularly.

This is where nature can help. An appealing place to walk or bike can get us off our seats and moving. And once we start, the beauty of natural surroundings keeps us motivated to continue. Studies show that exercising outdoors decreases perceptions of fatigue.     

Moreover, exercising outdoors reduces stress and enhances mood even more than exercise indoors. In a study published in Mind, one group of participants walked in an area with woods, grasslands, and lakes, and the other in a shopping mall. The outdoors group had less depression, anger, tension, and overall better mood than the indoor group. A series of studies in Japan showed that walking in forests, as opposed to urban environments, lowered blood pressure and stress hormones well beyond the time of the walk.

So find somewhere with trees, bushes, wild grasses or flowers, water, and other such natural elements and go for a walk or run or bike.  Gardening is another wonderful way to be active outside.

Watch your screen time

According to the Bureau of Labor in June 2012, the average American spends 2.8 hours a day watching television, and that is probably a conservative estimate. In addition, some age groups spend significant amounts of time playing games or using computers for leisure. In all, it means that a lot of our leisure time is spent sitting indoors in front of a screen. 

And the risks associated with screen time are not insignificant, including insomnia, depression, and isolation, and increased mortality.

So consider how much time you spend each time in front of a screen (TV or computer). Could you reduce that time to go outside?  You can get even more benefit if you do so with a friend!

Bring Nature Indoors

There are lots of ways to bring small doses of nature into your home to influence your mood, performance, and health.

Get some plants

Bring a bit of nature into your home and work. Plants reduce stress and anxiety and increase attention. In addition, plants can reduce the amount of airborne pollutants. Research done by Bill Wolverton at NASA in the 1970s and 80s demonstrated the air-cleaning powers of plants in the Skylab, biospheres, and homes. So add a few plants to your décor.

Try natural aromatherapy

Nature is full of lovely plant aromas. These not only make our environment pleasant, they are also full of chemicals that enhance our thinking, mood, immune system, and more. In fact, more and more scientists are looking at the therapeutic effects of different plant oils on various health conditions. Two examples supported by research are peppermint oil, which enhances attention and lessens mental and physical fatigue, and lavender oil, which calms. Try diffusing a few drops of these oils or other oils at home to enhance your mood.

Open the drapes

Studies in schools, offices, and hospitals show that letting in natural light increases job satisfaction, enhances performance, reduces depression, and enhances recovery. One interesting study compared the use of pain medications in patients who were on the bright and dim side of a hospital. Those on the bright side perceived less stress and less pain and took fewer analgesics. So let the sun shine in. 

Views of natural elements, such as trees, also have a positive effect on mood, attention, and recovery.  So if you can’t get outdoors, at least look out, particularly if you are feeling stressed or in pain.

Add nature scenes

If you don’t have a view of nature from your window at home or work, you can still benefit from a landscape painting or photo. Find one you like. You might consider a view of an open landscape (rather than a forest), as some researchers hypothesize this is inherently interesting to us while also making us feel comfortable (we can see there are no predators hiding).

Nurture Nature

Add animals to your life

As with plants, we evolved in nature alongside animals and they hold a natural fascination for us.  Of course, that is not a surprise, since animals were often our meal, or we theirs! Animals also alert us to danger or indicate that all is right in the world. So watching wild animals is naturally interesting to us and offers a welcome distraction from life’s worries. In addition, with many animals we feel a natural tenderness, a reaction that is harnessed in the emerging field of animal-assisted interactions to enhance a sense of connection and healing.

You don’t need to get a pet to benefit, although there is a large body of research showing the benefits of pet ownership, including lower blood pressure, depression, and anxiety—and a built-in exercise program! You can benefit simply by allowing yourself time to watch the birds and other wild animals in your yard or a neighboring park. 

You can benefit further by contributing to the welfare of wild creatures around the world and helping to protect the biological diversity that our ecosystems need.

Take care of our earth

Our relationship with nature is not a one-way street. Our connection with nature demonstrates that we need to protect it—for its sake and for our own. To do that, begin by educating yourself on what you can do to live sustainably.

Even small steps can make a big difference. Think about where you can reduce your consumption of limited resources and reduce your waste.  Can you bike to work a couple of days a week? Choose clothing that will last more than one season? Start with something that you like and can easily incorporate into your life and build from there.

Be an advocate for nature, because the wellbeing of nature depends on us.

When you are overwhelmed by a personal problem, spend some time with a pet. Try breathing in rhythm with your animal. For a half hour, do nothing but be with your animal. If your mind starts worrying about your difficulties, gently return to your breathing. After 30 minutes, note your mental state.