[INFORMATIVE] The Connection Between Mental Health and Nature

The Connection Between Mental Health and Nature

By: Raina Liu

Increased urbanization and pace of life has thrown the whole world towards nature for keeping good mental health and emotional well-being. Re-connection to the natural environment has become vital due to tight schedules and replacement of screens for green spaces. Multiple studies and field evidence have shown that spending time in nature strongly influences an individual's mental health by reducing stress levels and enhancing emotional resilience. This paper discusses the science behind the deep liaison between mental health and nature, exploring the role that natural environments play as powerful tools to improve psychological well-being.

Research consistently shows measurable influences of exposure to natural environments on mental health. One of the most novel and radically new research on this topic was presented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, as early as 2015. This study pointed out that a 90 minute walk in nature reduced neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain connected to rumination and depression (Bratman et al., 2015). However, urban walkers did not have any reduced activity of the brain that was associated with rumination. This is fairly good evidence that the natural environment may be a way to reduce cognitive patterns associated with anxiety and depression. Another important study done and published in Nature in 2019, said that people who managed to spend at least two hours each week in green spaces, whether parks or forests, were most likely to have a high probability of reporting better health and higher well-being compared to those who spent little or no time in such natural settings. These studies aspire to present evidence that even small doses of time spent in nature can help improve mental health. Therefore, access to nature is a public health imperative.

Stress remains one of the primary diagnostics of the modern world and a fundamental underpinning for many types of mental and physical health problems. Fortunately, it has an antioxidant. While many studies quantify a reduction in cortisol, which is the primary hormone associated with stress, as an outcome of natural environment exposure, it is interesting to note that the authors of such a study published in Frontiers in Psychology describe a significant lowering of cortisol levels in those individuals who spent just 20 to 30 minutes in nature. The greatest cortisol reduction was seen for subjects either sitting or walking in nature, rather than just looking out of a window at the natural landscapes. This kind of nature therapy, commonly known as ‘forest bathing’ or Shinrin-yoku in Japanese, is so popular that it attracts research from several parts of the world. In Japan, this type of nature therapy is well embraced, with government-supported programs to urge people to visit forests. Nippon Medical School in Tokyo found that forest bathing decreased cortisol levels while strengthening the immune system by increasing the activity of natural killer cells in the body, which fight against cancer and infection.

Nature seems to be playing an important role in human emotional resilience, which refers to the human capability to get back to baseline after stressful or traumatic events. Research has suggested that emotional resilience is increased by exposure to nature, through heightened mindfulness and reduced mental fatigue. One of the most recent studies showed that outdoor participants who finished activities by hiking or gardening, showed improved mood, self-esteem and emotional resilience, in comparison to those who finished similar activities indoors. Additionally, natural settings provoke emotions of awe and wonder, which have been associated with increased emotional resilience. A study in the journal Emotion revealed that the feelings of awe associated with experiences in nature expand one’s sense of time, reduce impatience, and increase life satisfaction. This is partly because such experiences allow one to connect with something bigger than themselves, helping them keep their problems in perspective, resulting in emotional healing.

Today’s mental health problems, wrought by hyper-connectivity, are digital overload, anxiety, depression, and burnout. The information deluge coming from smartphones, social media, and other digital devices leads to cognitive overload and emotional exhaustion. Nature provides a break in this digital deluge. Researchers Rachel and Stephen Kaplan had developed the Attention Restoration Theory (ART), which explains that natural environments allow “soft fascination” to restore depleted attention and cognitive function, while situations in which natural environments demand directed attention may lead to mental fatigue. This is supported by research at the University of Michigan, where subjects who took a walk in a natural setting did better on memory and attention tasks, in comparison to others who walked in an urban setting. The findings suggest that exposure to the natural world mitigates some negative impacts caused by digital overload on cognition.

On the contrary, higher urbanization might result in increased requirements for green space improvements within cities, as a vital dimension of mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over half of the world’s population is currently living in urban areas, and this is projected to increase to 68% by 2050. Urban living, compared to rural living, is accompanied by high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. In science, some of the positive factors of noise, pollution, and overpopulation come into play. Nevertheless, some research still managed to reveal the availability of green spaces within the city that may reduce those negative effects. For instance, one study published in The Lancet has pointed out that residential green space has a lower risk of psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. Furthermore, large-scale studies carried out in the Netherlands indicated that people who have greenery around them show lower levels of anxiety and depression compared to those who do not have much greenery around. This justifies the reason for the inclusion of green areas within urban planning due to their beneficial impact on mental health and well-being.

Moreover, urban green spaces may foster social coherence and psychological health. For instance, parks or community gardens that are generally very compatible with social activities, exercise, or simply sitting, thus offering stimulating functions for psychological health. One study published in the journal Health & Place found that the residents who lived closer to green spaces were more likely to engage in social activities and have larger social networks, which are protective factors against mental illness (Sugiyama et al., 2008).

The spill-over effects of nature's benefits even reach the children. They grow up with better mental health, show less anxiety, less depression, and fewer other behavioral problems. One article in the American Journal of Public Health described that children who lived in areas with more green space had lower rates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders than ones with less exposure to nature. Other research has documented that nature-based play develops cognitive growth, creativity, and emotional regulation. A study conducted by the University of Colorado Boulder showed that children who spent their time playing outdoors in natural settings, instead of indoors showed higher levels of creative problem-solving and better emotional resiliency compared to others. These findings emphasize the crucial role that nature can play in fostering normal child development, suggesting that children are in need of plentiful opportunities to be involved with nature.

A whole raft of evidence shows the psychological benefits accruing from contact with nature, leading to development of various therapies based on the incorporation of natural setting into the treatment process. In general definition, eco-therapy, nature therapy, or green therapy is psychotherapy that incorporates the outdoors into the treatment process. This can take the forms of gardening, nature walks, and even wilderness therapy. The American Psychological Association (APA) reports that eco-therapy has exhibited symptom reduction commonly associated with depression, anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder (Jordan & Hinds, 2016). Among the newer approaches, wilderness therapy has grown increasingly popular among adolescents and young adults with mental health and behavioral problems. A recent meta-analysis estimated in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics showed that symptoms of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse were significantly diminished while self-esteem and interpersonal relationships improved as a result of wilderness therapy programs. More therapeutic approaches have been done to outline the potential of nature-based interventions in promoting mental health and emotional well-being.

Of utmost importance is the well-established and growing scientific evidence regarding nature and mental health. Indeed, natural environments offer benefits to mental health that range from reduced stress and anxiety, to emotional resilience and cognitive restoration. As rapid urbanization and digital overload continue to burden mental health, the need for reservation and promotion of access to natural spaces increasingly surfaces. Whether it be through individual efforts of spending more time outdoors, or greater initiatives within society to knit green spaces into the built structure of urban planning, reconnecting with nature has remained an essential and powerful tool in increasing mental well-being.


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