TV nature ‘boosts viewers’ body confidence’

SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH’S nature documentaries make people feel better about their bodies, according to a study.

Scientists discovered that television shows like Planet Earth, Springwatch and Countryfile make viewers more confident about how they look, and combat insecurities over appearance.

It follows a previous study by the same team that showed a brisk walk in the park improves people’s self-esteem.

Now the phenomenon has been found to work just by seeing plants, flowers and trees – on television. Prof Viren Swami, a social psychologist at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, said it could lead to a cheap solution to helping people with body confidence issues fuelled by social media – especially those living in “concrete jungles”.

He said: “There are a number of possible explanations for our results, including the idea natural environments promote ‘soft fascination’, a state of cognitive quiet that fosters self-kindness and helps individuals have a more compassionate view of their body. Views of rivers and trees are also devoid of any reminders of materialism.”

In the study, published in the journal Body Image, 36 students watched two three-minute films, one shot in the streets of Cambridge and the other on the banks of the River Cam.

On a scale of measurements of mood reflecting their body appreciation, scores improved by around two thirds after the latter was shown to them.

The former made no difference to how they saw themselves.