Green Spaces Improve Our Mental Health
Frequent walks in a nearby park or spending more time in your garden can offer much-needed stress relief, a new study claims.
Green spaces like forests, parks, and gardens have proven to be a source of mental wellbeing in many studies. For instance, one revealed that people who grew up near green spaces have a 55% lower risk of developing psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse later in life. New research from Japan adds more evidence.
Scientists developed a questionnaire to assess how the frequency of green space use and green view from window affects 5 mental-health outcomes:
- subjective happiness,
- life satisfaction,
- self-esteem,
- depression,
- loneliness.
After analyzing the answers from 3,000 adults living in Tokyo, researchers discovered a strong positive connection between regular exposure to green spaces and mental health. Even having a green view from the window was found to be a tremendous advantage.
“Our results suggest that nearby nature can serve as a buffer in decreasing the adverse impacts of a very stressful event on humans,” said lead author Masashi Soga, Ph.D., implying the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source:
A regular dose of nature may improve mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic