Psychological And Physiological Health Benefits Of Nature

I wrote this essay for my grade 12 Environmental Science class. I hope you all enjoy reading and learning from this!

    Most lifestyles in urban societies are stressful and can make an individual feel tired of being confined indoors. Many people in our society live busy lives in the city, where spending time in nature is a luxury most people don't have time to afford. However our societies should make the time and an effort to involve more natural settings into our daily lives for three reasons; Being in a natural setting or environment can reduce stress, mental fatigue and improve cognitive performance, minimal exposure to nature can have harmful effects on mental health, and spending time in nature can reduce physical stress symptoms. By discussing various studies from multiple sources, this paper will establish that; exposure to nature can have profound effects on psychological and physiological health and well being. 

    To begin, nature gives people feelings of harmony, a sense of belonging, or even a feeling of amazement at the wonders of this world. This is because nature can be efficient at relieving stress, improving mental fatigue, and boosting cognition. An article from UC Berkeley’s magazine Greater Good states, “researchers in Finland found that urban dwellers who strolled for as little as 20 minutes through an urban park or woodland reported significantly more stress relief than those who strolled in a city center.” (Suttie 2016) This study demonstrates that a walk in a simple urban park is more efficient at relieving stress compared to walking in a city centre. Along with stress, walking through nature is known to reduce mental fatigue and improve cognitive performance. A study published in Psychological Science states, “Immediately following a 35-minute period of intense experimental cognitive brain drain and testing, the subjects took a walk either in a lush park or on city streets. After the walk, the cognitive tests were repeated and once again the results showed a significant performance difference in favor of those who had spent time in nature.” (Selhub & Logan 2014 67) In this study researchers found that nature actually has restorative effects on our cognitive functions. After the test subjects completed tasks designed to induce mental fatigue, a 35 minute walk in nature restored and improved their cognitive performance. In conclusion, nature is efficient at relieving stress, improving mental fatigue, and boosting cognitive performance. 

    Secondly, urban lifestyles can get overwhelming and make us feel like we could use a vacation, that is a natural response because a fast-paced city lifestyle can be detrimental to our mental health. People living in urbanized areas with minimal exposure to nature can have negative effects on mental health as opposed to their rural counterparts. A study recorded in the book; Your Brain On Nature states, “Decades of research show that there are mental health consequences of life in the big city—the risk of anxiety and/or depression is up to 40 percent higher compared with residence in rural settings.” (Selhub & Logan 2014 32) This research was done to show the increased risk of anxiety and depression over the decades for residents in big urban cities compared to residents of rural areas. Another analysis shows, “urban dwellers have a 20 per cent higher risk of developing anxiety disorders, and a 40 per cent higher risk of developing mood disorders. For schizophrenia, double the risk has been shown, with a ‘dose-response’ relationship for urban exposure and disease risk.” (Adli 2011) The research in this analysis states that there is double the increased risk of developing schizophrenia compared to mood disorders for urbanites. There is also a ‘dose-response’ relationship for urban exposure and disease risk, which means that higher levels of exposure will result in a higher risk of developing a mental illness. This concludes, that minimal exposure to nature can have negative effects on mental health. 

     Finally, being in nature tends to feel relaxing and soothing, this soothing effect can actually lead to physical changes in the body. Spending time in nature can reduce physical stress by lowering heart rate, muscle tension and blood pressure. According to an article published in Taking Charge by University of Minnesota, “Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical well being, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. It may even reduce mortality, according to scientists such as public health researchers Stamatakis and Mitchell.” (Larson & Kreitzer 2016) The article states that nature provides one with pleasant feelings and due to this comfort, physical changes such as decreased muscle tension and lowered blood pressure occur. To conclude, spending time in nature can decrease physical stress by reducing the heart rate, muscle tension, and blood pressure.

    To sum it up, exposure to nature can have profound effects on one's psychological and physiological health and well being. Spending time in nature is efficient at relieving stress, improving mental fatigue, and boosting cognitive functions. People living in urbanized areas with minimal exposure to nature tend to have negative effects on their mental health. Spending time outdoors can reduce physical symptoms of stress by lowering heart rate, muscle tension and blood pressure. The negative impacts of not getting enough time outdoors are not worth it. This is why our society should make the time and effort to go into nature more often no matter how busy our lives in the big city are. 

 

Works Cited 

 Adli, Mazda. "Urban Stress and Mental Health." En Gb. N.p., Nov. 2011. Web. 03 June 2017. 

 Larson, Jean , PhD, CTRS, HTR, and Mary Jo Kreitzer, RN, PhD. "How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?" Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing. University of Minnesota , n.d. Web. 03 June 2017. 

 Selhub, Eva M., MD, and Alan C. Logan, ND. Your brain on nature: the science of natures influence on your health, happiness, and vitality. Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers, Ltd., 2014. Print. 

 Suttie, Jill , Psy.D. "How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative." Greater Good. University of California, Berkeley, 2 Mar. 2016. Web. 03 June 2017.
 

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