HOW NATURE CONNECTEDNESS CAN BOOST MENTAL HEALTH
she added.
University of Chicago psychologist Dr. Marc Berman and his student Kathryn Schertz explored in a 2019 review the correlation between interacting with nature and cognitive benefits. They reported that green spaces near schools promote cognitive development in children.
“Green views near children’s homes promote self-control behaviors. Adults in neighborhoods with more green space showed better attentional functions. Those exposed to natural environments have improved working memory, cognitive flexibility and attentional control.”
“In a review of the research,”it continues,“Gregory Bratman, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Washington, and colleagues shared evidence that contact with nature is associated with increases in happiness, subjective well-being, positive affect, positive social interactions, and a sense of meaning and purpose in life, as well as decreases mental distress.”
In Denmark, a total of 900,000 residents born between 1985 and 2003 were studied. They concluded “that children who lived in neighborhoods with more green space had a reduced risk of many psychiatric disorders later in life, including depression, mood disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and substance use disorders.”
How much nature exposure does one need to get the multitude of benefits? In a UK study of nearly 20,000 adults, it was found “that people who spent at least two recreational hours in nature during the previous week reported significantly greater health and wellbeing. That pattern held across subgroups including older adults and people with chronic health problems, and the effects were the same whether they got their dose of nature in a single 120-minute session or spread out throughout the week.”
John Zelenski, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ontario, and Nisbet studied whether connection itself creates happiness. They looked at which matters most — the connectedness with nature or a general sense of connectedness, like feeling in tune with one’s friends or community. They found that feeling connected to nature was a more significant predictor of happiness.
“Spending time in nature is linked to both cognitive benefits and improvements in mood, mental health, and emotional well-being. Feeling connected to nature can produce similar benefits to well-being, regardless of how much time one spends outdoors. Both green spaces and blue spaces (aquatic environments) produce well-being benefits. More remote and biodiverse spaces may be particularly helpful, though even urban parks and trees can lead to positive outcomes.”