Walks in nature may be just the right medicine
What ‘‘medicine’’ lifts our mood, helps us fight disease, and makes us smarter? Answer: nature.
This is what we know from research undertaken since the 1980s. In the wake of the groundbreaking study by a young researcher, Roger Ulrich, in which he compared the health outcomes of hospital patients in Pennsylvania – some with a view of trees, others with a view of a brick wall.
His study found the patients with a view of nature had shorter hospital stays, were more positive in outlook and needed less medication after surgery.
Since then, researchers in the United States, Europe and, more recently Japan and Korea, have sought to uncover the secrets of the nature-wellbeing connection – how it works and what the specific benefits are.
The benefits established by scientific studies are numerous and wide-ranging. A walk in a natural park setting has been found to lift mood, reduce feelings of anger and aggression, and lead to better recovery from mental fatigue, compared to walking in an urban setting.
Numerous studies have found an association between time spent in nature or green space and lower levels of stress, reduced symptoms of anxiety, and improved cognition in children with attention deficits and people with depression.
Studies in Japan have found spending time in forest environments not only leads to reduced stress and improved mood but increases the activity of ‘‘natural killer cells’’ (a white blood cell that plays a vital role as part of the body’s defence system, attacking infections and tumours) and elevates hormones that may be protective against obesity and diabetes.
Mostly, these studies have only been able to establish shortterm benefits, but at least one study has established a link between exposure to nature in childhood and long-term health benefits. A Danish study published in 2019 found children who grew up around green spaces are less likely to develop mental disorders as adults.
In 2018, I set out to understand New Zealanders’ experience of the nature-wellbeing connection. This took me to rural Waikato, the red zone of Christchurch, rugged hill country north of Wellington and other places.
The stories people shared were varied but each one was authentic, personal and moving. For some, their interaction with nature was intentional, for others accidental. But all spoke of the benefits to their own or their community’s wellbeing.
When I set out to write my book, Aotearoa New Zealand: Exploring the Connection, little did I realise the most persuasive case study of all would be precipitated by a global pandemic. In lockdown, New Zealanders were told to stay home and keep to their neighbourhood.
For many this highlighted the value of ‘‘neighbourhood nature’’ – the parks, reserves, and other nature spaces in the towns and cities where 86 per cent of us live.
With less traffic on the roads, many noticed more bird song. The experience also highlighted inequity in access to nature spaces – there are more of these in the ‘‘leafier’’ suburbs.
By restoring these spaces in and around the places we live and work, we are restoring longdepleted lowland ecosystems, helping to keep our air and freshwater clean and helping to fight climate change. What other ‘‘medicine’’ does all that?
Nature and Wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand: Exploring the Connection, by Catherine Knight (Totara Press).