2024-03-13 19:30:00
In Spain more than 80% of the total population, almost 39 million people, live in urban areas. The urban environment is very useful when it comes to providing certain services that the rural world lacks or, in the best of cases, are less accessible. But city life is not all advantages. Environmental pollution – air and noise –, the undisputed dominance of the motorized vehicle over the pedestrian and a pace of life marked by haste leave little room for relaxation, enjoyment and disconnection.
In a fast-paced world, where stress often overwhelms us, nature becomes an oasis of calm and a refuge for our mental health. Recent scientific studies have revealed that the simple act of observing green spaces from our home or spending time in natural environments has very positive effects on reducing anxiety and depression. A reality that is especially evident in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and more specifically, during confinement.
Wertheimpark Park, Amsterdam — Fons Heijnsbroek / Wikimedia Commons
This connection with green not only offers us a momentary escape from the concrete walls and engine noises that surround us, but also lays the foundation for deeper and lasting mental well-being, reaffirming the importance of integrating nature into our lives. daily life and in urban policies.
Nature as a source of mental health
According to a study led by researcher Olga Braçe, from the University of Seville, the mere visual perception of green spaces from home can already significantly reduce the risk of anxiety and depression. The research, published in the scientific journal Environmental Research and Public Health, used a cross-sectional survey to evaluate the impact of views of green spaces from home on anxiety and depression in Carmona, Spain. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, self-perceived health status, and risk of anxiety and depression variables were considered. The results showed that adults who enjoy views of green spaces from their home have a lower risk of suffering from anxiety and depression, suggesting that such eye contact could act as a calming and restorative element for the mind.
Park in Uzta, Russia — Zinoviev Nikolay / Wikimedia
This effect was studied more deeply during the COVID pandemic lockdown in 2020. Masashi Soga, a researcher at the University of Tokyo, carried out a similar analysis in this context. His study, published in Ecological Applications, focused on how interacting with green spaces and seeing nature from home during confinement positively influenced mental health. The study found that this exposure to nature was associated with improvements in psychological well-being, including reduced levels of depression, anxiety and loneliness.
This type of work highlights the importance of incorporating natural elements in urban environments to promote mental health. According to the data, interaction with nature, in addition to benefiting our overall mental health, also strengthens our psychological resilience in times of stress, providing a space for mental and physical restoration.
How does nature benefit our happiness and mental health?
It is clear that contact with nature helps us disconnect, be happier and reduce stress and anxiety, especially in crisis situations. But in what way does it act? What are the reasons?
Nature in all its splendor — Ansh Patanker/Wikimedia
Motivated by scientific curiosity, these are the questions asked by researchers Hansen Li and Guodong Zang, from Southwest University in Chongqing, China. The study they carried out explored the most relevant theories about the benefits that natural environments enriched with plants offer to human health.
From a psychological perspective, researchers were interested in attention restoration theory. According to this proposal, a natural environment captures our attention gently and effortlessly, allowing us to recharge our ability to concentrate and reduce mental fatigue. This process improves our ability to focus and pay attention, and our overall mood. The hypothesis known as perceptual or cognitive fluency also comes into play in the process. According to this explanation, the structure of many natural elements, such as trees and landscapes, with fractal shapes, is processed very efficiently by the brain, facilitating a feeling of comfort and pleasure.
Furthermore, from the perspective of classical conditioning, researchers propose that certain aspects of nature can evoke relaxation responses due to past experiences that we associate with those aspects. This learned association between nature and positive mental state can be a powerful tool to improve psychological well-being and happiness.
Grand Field Park in Valladolid — Nicholas Perez/Wikimedia
On the other hand, from a behavioral point of view, green spaces encourage activities, such as walking or playing sports, that improve cardiovascular health and mood. Warmer temperatures than those in cities, and cleaner air, also contribute to physiological well-being.
In addition, natural areas are conducive to gathering and social interaction. Activities such as group hiking, a snack, or a starlight evening foster connection with other people, strengthen social ties, and create a sense of community. These interactions can alleviate the feeling of isolation and loneliness, and the social support achieved through these means reinforces, according to researchers, emotional and psychological resilience.
Globally, there is a complex network of factors that interact with each other, and through which natural space, and especially if it is enriched with plants, benefits our mental, physical and social health. The integration of nature into our immediate environment is not only vital for individual well-being, it also has important implications for public policies and urban planning aimed at promoting healthy living environments.
References:
- Braçe, O. et al. 2020. Is a View of Green Spaces from Home Associated with a Lower Risk of Anxiety and Depression? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), 7014. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17197014
- Garrido-Cumbrera, M. et al. 2022. The importance for wellbeing of having views of nature from and in the home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from the GreenCOVID study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 83, 101864. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101864
- Garrido-Cumbrera, M. et al. 2024. What Have We Learned from the Impact of the Pandemic on Our Relationship with Nature? The Importance of Views from Home. En N. Finneran et al. (Eds.), Managing Protected Areas (pp. 227-242). Springer International Publishing. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-40783-3_13
- Gawrych, M. 2023. Nature-Based Mental Health – what kind of interventions is the best? European Psychiatry, 66, 902-902. DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.1911
- Li, H. et al. 2024. How can plant-enriched natural environments benefit human health: a narrative review of relevant theories. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 34(3), 1241-1254. DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2023.2170990
- Soga, M. et al. 2021. A room with a green view: the importance of nearby nature for mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ecological Applications, 31(2), e2248. DOI: 10.1002/eap.2248
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