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It’s
no secret that nature is rich with benefits for humanity: Previous studies
have shown that simply being in or near green spaces can increase one’s
physical and mental health. New research has further found that taking a more
hands-on approach via citizen science is also beneficial to well-being, and
it helps the environment in the process.
In the
first large-scale study to measure the well-being benefits to volunteers in
citizen science projects, researchers saw “that all
volunteers showed increased scores in well-being and feeling connected to
nature after completing their activities,” according to a press release.
Citizen science is a way for government agencies to crowdsource some of their
research to everyday citizens by having the public voluntarily participate in
the scientific process. Many of these projects involve the great outdoors, whether
it’s going to national parks to monitor changes in ecosystems, performing
some science for NASA while traveling along the Lewis & Clark National
Historic Trail, or tracking animal behavior in Antarctica, and result in
invaluable research.
“People connect with nature in different ways, so it’s great to see
nature-based citizen science can provide another form of active engagement
that can strengthen the human-nature relationship,” study
co-author Miles Richardson said in a statement. “When combined with noticing
the positive emotions nature can bring, citizen science can help unite both
human and nature’s well-being.”
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