How Can Nature and Green Spaces Benefit Mental Health?

What you need to know

• Spending time in nature and green spaces can reduce stress and improve mental well-being
• Nature exposure may help restore attention and cognitive function
• “Green therapies” are being explored as complementary treatments for some mental health conditions
• Regular access to nearby green spaces could be an important public health strategy

The Healing Power of Nature

In recent years, there has been renewed interest in studying how exposure to nature and green spaces impacts mental health. As people spend more time indoors, using screens, and less time engaging in outdoor leisure activities, some researchers have even proposed the existence of a “nature deficit disorder” to describe this disconnection from the natural environment.

The potential mental health benefits of nature have actually been recognized in psychiatry since the 18th century. However, systematic scientific studies on this topic only began in the 1980s. A pioneering study by Roger Ulrich found that hospital patients with a view of nature from their window recovered faster and with fewer complications after surgery compared to those without a nature view. This research gave rise to the Stress Reduction Theory, which proposes that exposure to natural environments can lower physiological stress levels.

How Nature Affects the Brain

Recent neuroimaging research has provided insight into how nature exposure may impact the brain. One study compared the effects of a one-hour walk in a forest environment versus an urban environment. Brain scans showed that activity in the amygdala - a region involved in stress and emotion processing - decreased after the nature walk but not after the urban walk. This provides compelling evidence for nature’s stress-reducing effects at the neural level.

Another prominent theory, called Attention Restoration Theory, proposes that nature helps restore cognitive function and ability to focus attention. Natural settings are thought to provide a level of stimulation that allows the mind to rest and recharge.

Multisensory and Personal Experience

Researchers are still working to identify the specific characteristics of nature that lead to mental health benefits. The experience of being in nature is multisensory - involving sight, sound, smell, and touch. It also tends to be immersive and can evoke emotional responses. A person’s individual history and relationship with nature likely plays a role as well.

This multifaceted, personal quality of nature experiences presents both opportunities and challenges for research and clinical applications. More work is needed to determine which aspects of nature exposure are most impactful for different individuals and mental health conditions.

From Daily Life to Therapeutic Interventions

Some countries have started to formally recognize the health-promoting potential of nature exposure. In Japan, the practice of shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing” has been encouraged since the 1980s as a way to improve physical and mental well-being.

In the UK, researchers have proposed a three-tiered model for incorporating nature into health promotion:

1. Everyday life - encouraging regular contact with nearby nature
2. Health promotion through nature - targeted programs to improve well-being
3. Green therapy - nature-based interventions for specific health needs

This third level of “green therapy” refers to structured nature-based treatments for populations with particular mental health or social needs. For example, nature interventions are being explored as complementary treatments for conditions like depression, anxiety disorders, and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In some countries like Canada, healthcare providers can even write “green prescriptions” encouraging patients to spend time in nature as part of their treatment plan.

Potential Benefits of Green Therapies

Incorporating therapeutic interventions in green spaces offers several potential benefits:

• Restoring connections with the environment, oneself, and others
• Promoting attachment to natural places through regular visits
• Complementing other mental health treatments
• Providing a holistic, multisensory healing experience

Spending time in nature may be especially valuable for addressing feelings of disconnection and social isolation that often accompany mental health struggles.

Challenges and Future Directions

While promising, the field of “green therapy” still faces some limitations. More research is needed to determine which clinical populations would benefit most from nature-based interventions and at what stage of illness they should be applied. There is also a need for standardized training and certification programs for practitioners.

As urbanization increases and natural ecosystems decline, the mental health benefits of green spaces take on even greater importance. Preserving access to nature and green areas in urban environments could be an important public health strategy.

Conclusions

• Scientific evidence increasingly supports the mental health benefits of nature exposure
• “Green therapies” show promise as complementary treatments for some mental health conditions
• Regular access to nearby nature may help promote and maintain mental well-being
• Preserving green spaces should be a priority for public health and urban planning

The relationship between mental health and green spaces highlights the interconnectedness of human and environmental well-being. By taking care of nature, we enable nature to take care of us - creating mutual benefits for both human health and ecological sustainability.