Nature is full of wonder and splendor. Its beauty enriches the senses, calms the spirit, and challenges the mind. Once believed to have more subjective than objective benefits, scientists are beginning to quantify the tangible benefits of being exposed to the environment. According to a new study, “take a hike” may become a clinical, rather than an insulting, directive.
The authors of the new study evaluated the effects of a nature walk on 20 adults with major depressive disorder. The individuals completed baseline assessments of mood and memory span. At the participant’s first encounter, they were asked to ruminate about an unresolved negative experience in their own lives. They were then assigned to take a 50-minute walk, either in a natural setting or an urban one. After the walks, mood and memory were reassessed. One week later, the participants repeated the entire procedure, but walked in the location that they did not in the first session.
Significant improvements in mood and memory span were observed after the nature walks compared to the urban walks. Overall, the authors report that nature-based exercise could be considered a viable treatment for depressive disorders. The study is published in a recent issue of Journal of Affective Disorders.
Numerous studies have shown positive associations between green environments and physical and mental health. Exercising in nature is related to a feeling of revitalization, positive social engagement, increased energy, and decreased anxiety, confusion and depression. People who engage in outdoor activities report greater joy, satisfaction, and self-esteem compared to those who complete indoor activities, and natural environments promote exercise adherence more than indoor environments.
The restorative effects of natural environments are difficult to quantify, but the great outdoors is definitely calling. With an obesity epidemic and a generation of youngsters who barely know how to ride a bike or throw a ball, encouraging outdoor activities should be a top public health initiative of every physician, teacher, parent, and neighbor. Take a hike, stop and smell the roses, listen to the song of a bird or the babble of a brook. Go to nature to be soothed and healed.
References
Barton J, Griffin M, & Pretty J (2012). Exercise-, nature- and socially interactive-based initiatives improve mood and self-esteem in the clinical population. Perspectives in public health, 132 (2), 89-96 PMID: 22616429
Barton J, & Pretty J (2010). What is the best dose of nature and green exercise for improving mental health? A multi-study analysis. Environmental science & technology, 44 (10), 3947-55 PMID: 20337470
Berman MG, Kross E, Krpan KM, Askren MK, Burson A, Deldin PJ, Kaplan S, Sherdell L, Gotlib IH, & Jonides J (2012). Interacting with nature improves cognition and affect for individuals with depression. Journal of affective disorders, 140 (3), 300-5 PMID: 22464936
Pretty J, Peacock J, Sellens M, & Griffin M (2005). The mental and physical health outcomes of green exercise. International journal of environmental health research, 15 (5), 319-37 PMID: 16416750
Sugiyama T, Leslie E, Giles-Corti B, & Owen N (2008). Associations of neighbourhood greenness with physical and mental health: do walking, social coherence and local social interaction explain the relationships? Journal of epidemiology and community health, 62 (5) PMID: 18431834
Thompson Coon J, Boddy K, Stein K, Whear R, Barton J, & Depledge MH (2011). Does participating in physical activity in outdoor natural environments have a greater effect on physical and mental wellbeing than physical activity indoors? A systematic review. Environmental science & technology, 45 (5), 1761-72 PMID: 21291246
Image via robert_s / Shutterstock.
Related Articles:
via Brain Blogger
Read More Here..
In an increasing trend of urban women taking to alcohol to cope with everyday stresses as societal norms ease. A 33-year-old married woman from Chandigarh had never imagined that her excessive clubbing and partying would one day push her to the brink of suicide. But it did. Also a 28-year-old woman working as a senior executive in a property broking firm in Mumbai also developed suicidal tendencies. What started for both the Bacchus lovers as socializing, ...
via Medindia Health News More READ
The Bihar government's commitment supported by development partners in the polio eradication program has helped the state to remain polio-free for over two years, a health official said. Bihar Health Secretary and Executive Director of Bihar State Health Society Sanjay Kumar said Bihar has been focusing on 41 polio high risk blocks, which have persistently reported polio cases in the past. "Promoting sanitation and hygiene, routine immunization, exclusive ...
via Medindia Health News 
Cigarettes that come in one-color packets taste worse and are dominated by vivid health warnings, smokers claim. Advice group Quitline and Facebook fan sites have been inundated with comments saying their smokes taste 'pathetic', 'sickening' and 'lack flavor'. Tobacco companies have denied changing ingredients, while pundits say the issue highlights the power of branding, the Telegraph reports. A spokeswoman for Imperial Tobacco Australia, ...
via Medindia Health News 
The Chinese health ministry has blamed homosexuals for the rise in new HIV/AIDS infections in the country. In the first 10 months of this year, 21 percent of all new HIV infections recorded in China came from male homosexuals, Xinhua reported. This represented a sharp rise compared to 15 percent cases attributable to homosexuals in the same period last year, the ministry said. The report also showed that the number of new infections among ...
via Medindia Health News 
A Chinese chain producing ice-cream cones has been using paper wrappers which have been found to contain excessive amount of fluorescent agents and bleaching chemicals that can cause cancer. According to test results, the wrapper came from the Shanghai Iceason Food Co. Ltd. and was made in April by a paper production firm in the northern city of Tianjin, the Shanghai Daily reported. A company official said she could not comment immediately on the test ...
via Medindia Health News