Not Just for the Soul: How Spending Time in Nature Affects Our Health

A comprehensive study published in Nature Human Behaviour, which included over 10 million participants, found that nature-based activities reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood. The effectiveness was found to be similar to that of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The researchers explain that exposure to nature calms the nervous system.

A comprehensive study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, which aggregated data from thousands of studies involving over 10 million participants, found that nature-based activities have the ability to significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and improve overall mood. The researchers compared the effect size of nature activities to effects found in studies on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and found that the effectiveness was similar in magnitude. However, the article notes that this is not a direct comparison within the same study. The study found that both active activities like gardening and passive exposure like looking at trees from a window showed a positive effect. Physical evidence of the calming effect was also found, such as a decrease in heart rate. The researchers emphasize that nature is an accessible and inexpensive tool, but not a substitute for professional treatment.