GROW YOUR POSITIVE BODY IMAGE

Wanting to improve your body appreciation and feel better about yourself? Grab a shovel and some seeds and head out into the garden.

New research by Professor Viren Swami of Anglia Ruskin University has found that gardening promotes positive body image. The study found that gardeners had significantly higher levels of body appreciation, significantly higher levels of body pride, and significantly higher levels of appreciation for their body’s functionality, compared to nongardeners. The study also discovered that the longer period of time the participants spent gardening, the larger the improvement in positive body image.

Previous research has shown that gardening is associated with improved psychological wellbeing and physical health and this new study adds to previous work by Professor Swami demonstrating that exposure to natural environments helps to promote positive body image.