Boost Your Happiness and Well-Being by Reconnecting with Nature

On an average, most people spend more than 90% of their lives indoors (Woodcock & Custovic, 1998). Contemporary urban lifestyles along with increased time spend on screens has also led to people spending less time outdoors and disconnecting with nature. This detachment from nature takes a toll on an individual's mental health as research has shown that nature exposure has a positive influence on psychological well-being (Bratman et al., 2019). Some of these benefits include an increase in positive emotions, happiness and subjective well-being, positive social interaction, a sense of meaning and purpose in life, and a decrease in risk factors for mental illness, especially depression. In addition, a review of studies on nature-based outdoor activities showed that these interventions improve depressive mood and reduce anxiety (Coventry et al., 2021).

Noticing nature is a proven nature-based well-being intervention. In this practice, you pay attention to the feelings evoked by nature. Research shows that individuals who paid attention for a period of two weeks to how nature in their everyday surroundings made them feel had greater positive emotions. They experienced a greater sense of awe, inspiration, transcendence, and social connectedness compared to individuals who paid attention to human-built objects (Passmore & Holder, 2017). The steps of this exercise are as below:

1. For two weeks, 5-15 minutes per day, be mindful of the natural elements and objects around you (e.g., trees, clouds, leaves, moon, moving water, animals, hills, etc.). Notice how these elements of nature make you feel and allow yourself to truly experience these feelings. You don’t have to budget extra time to spend outdoors – these are things already present in your life such as a scenic view from your window, a neighborhood park, or a houseplant.

2. Upon encountering a natural object or scene that evokes positive emotions in you, take a photo of it. If you can, upload the photo to your computer and jot down a brief description of the emotions evoked by the object or scene.

3. The focus is not on the quality of the photos or your creativity. The key is your experience with what you are photographing – how nature makes you feel. You can take as many photos as you like but try to take at least one to two every other day while continuing to be mindful of how the nature you encounter makes you feel daily.

You don’t have to go for the romanticized version of nature such as ocean views or majestic peaks to experience nature. Even a 15-minute walk in an urban park or urban woodland can relieve your stress and increase your subjective sense of vitality, mood, and creativity (Tyrväinen et al., 2014). We don’t know exactly how nature heals. Nature may offer a restorative experience by rekindling the intrinsic bond between human beings and natural elements from an evolutionary perspective, or it may just be a positive distraction that diverts attention away from one’s immediate stressful situation. In addition, people often feel positive emotions like awe, connectedness, and hope in natural settings and positive emotions are known to enhance both happiness and well-being.  From a physiological perspective, being in nature activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which then triggers your body's stress recovery response allowing you to relax (Coventry et al., 2021). 

Finally, research also shows that people who spent more than 30 minutes outdoors in a clear, sunny weather reported not only better mood but also demonstrated better cognitive functioning and a more flexible and creative style of thinking (Keller et al., 2005). In fact, residential exposure to green space itself is associated with higher overall cognition and, interestingly, this effect is mediated with lower levels of depression (Jimenez et al., 2022). Thus, the next time you start to feel cooped up inside your home or office, take a stroll and enjoy the nature. Science suggests that, besides improving your mood, you will also get smarter!

To learn more about evidence-based self-management techniques that promote mental health and well-being, check out Dr. Duggal's Author Page.

HARPREET S. DUGGAL, MD, FAPA

REFERENCES

Bratman, G. N., Anderson, C. B., Berman, M. G., Cochran, B., de Vries, S., Flanders, J.,… Daly, G. C. (2019). Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective. Science Advances, 5: eaax0903.

Coventry, P. A., Brown, J. V. E., Pervin, J., Brabyn, S., Pateman, R., Breedvelt, J.,... White, P. C. L. (2021). Nature-based outdoor activities for mental and physical health: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Population Health, 16, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100934  

Jimenez, M. P., Elliott, E. G., DeVille, N. V., Laden, F., Hart, J. E., Weuve, J.,...James, P. (2022). Residential green space and cognitive function in a large cohort of middle-aged women. JAMA Network Open, 5(4):e229306.

Keller, M. C., Fredrickson, B. L., Ybarra, O., Côté, S., Johnson, K., Mikels, J., … Wager, T. (2005). A warm heart and a clear head: the contingent effects of weather on mood and cognition. Psychological Science, 16(9), 724-731.

Passmore, H. A., & Holder, M. D. (2017). Noticing nature: individual and social benefits of a two-week intervention. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 12(6), 537-546.

Tyrväinen, L., Ojala, A., Korpela, K., Lanki, T., Tsunetsugu, Y., & Kagawa, T. (2014). The influence of urban green environments on stress relief measures: a field experiment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38, 1-9.

Woodcock, A., & Custovic, A. (1998). ABC of allergies: avoiding exposure to indoor allergens. British Medical Journal, 316, 1075-1078.