There's consistent evidence that exposure to
natural environments has a positive effect on pain, stress, anxiety, blood
pressure and heart rate.
Taking a walk on a
wooded path, spending an afternoon in a public park, harvesting your backyard
garden and even looking at beautiful pictures of Hawaii can all make us feel
good. Certainly, for many of us, it’s beneficial to have time outside in
natural environments. Being cooped up inside can feel unnatural and increase
our desire to get outside. The renowned biologist E.O. Wilson created a theory
called the biophilia
hypothesis, where he stated that people have an innate relationship
to nature.
On an intuitive
level, this makes sense. Humans evolved in an open, natural environment and removing
us from this environment could have a negative effect on our health. But what
does the research say? Is there actually evidence that being in natural
environments can promote our well-being, prevent disease and speed recovery?
Nature and healing
The pioneering work
in this area started in the 1980s with Robert Ulrich, who was a
professor at Texas A&M University. His work looked at surgery patients who
had a view of trees out of their window compared to those who had the view of a
wall. Those with the natural view reported less pain and spent less time in the
hospital.
Since then, several studies have
shown a reduction in pain both through viewing natural scenes as well looking
at nature videos and pictures.
The pioneering work in this area started with Robert Ulrich,
who looked at surgery patients who had a view of trees compared to those who
had a view of a wall.
Other studies have
looked at the effect of exposure to daylight on patients and found they
experienced less pain, stress and use of pain medications than patients who did
not have exposure to natural light. There is also preliminary
evidence that hospital gardens can alleviate stress in both
patients and their families.
In the area of
designing health care facilities, there appears to be consistent evidence that
exposures to natural environments have a positive effect on pain, stress,
anxiety, blood pressure and heart rate. In the Center for Health and Nature, a
joint venture between my university Texas A&M, Houston Methodist Hospital
and nonprofit Texan by Nature, our new studies are
assessing if these effects extend to the virtual world, including immersive VR
and virtual windows.
A preventive effect?
While nature appears
to be helpful in restoring health after illness, can it actually help us keep
healthy? Researchers across the world have been asking this question.
From forest bathing (“shinrin-yoku”)
in Japan to the 30 Days Wild campaign
in the United Kingdom, which encourages people to connect to wild places,
people have been examining the healing powers of nature.
While walking is well
established as a health promoting behavior, studies are now examining if
walking in natural environments is more beneficial than indoors or in urban
environments. Results have shown positive effects for mental health, improved
attention, mood, blood pressure
and heart rate.
Several programs
across the country have been formed to expose military
veterans to natural spaces to combat symptoms of PTSD. In
children, playgrounds with
greenspace increased vigorous physical activity and decreased
sedentary time and even has led to fewer fights.
While there is
growing evidence that exposure to natural environments is beneficial to health,
there are still many questions to be answered. What is nature? While this may
seem simple at first glance, there are many differences between a national
park, an urban pocket park and a picture of waves crashing on the beach. What
is the dose of nature needed?
In physical activity,
there is scientific consensus that people need 150 minutes a
week for good health. How much and how often is exposure to
nature needed for better health? How do longer doses — such as a weekend
camping in a forest — and shorter doses —such as a walk through a park — affect
us? What sensory part of nature is affecting us? Is it sight, sound, smell,
touch or a combination of them?
A recent paper
proposed enhanced immune
function as the central pathway for the variety of positive
health outcomes received from nature exposure. This needs to be tested.
Despite the need for
more research, the need for more nature exposure is urgent. The Environmental
Protection Agency estimates that Americans, on average, spend 90% of their
time indoors. A study in the U.K. found that children spend
only half the time outdoors than their parents used to.
There are signs that
a nature movement is beginning to take hold. The 30 Days Wild program
run by the Wildlife Trusts in the U.K. encouraged people to engage with nature
every day for a month. In its first year, more than 18,000 people signed up.
Doctors in Scotland
are now able give Nature
Prescriptions to their patients. The educational
leaflet they provide describes numerous monthly activities
including touching the ocean, taking a dog for a walk and following a
bumblebee. In the U.S., the Park Rx America program
has been working to connect publicly available outdoor space to physicians to
have them prescribe nature.
It’s time to make a
commitment to spend more time in nature. Better health could literally be as
easy as a walk in the park.
Jay Maddock is
Professor of Public Health, Texas A&M
University . This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative
Commons license. Read the original article.
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