Today’s ATP edition is about nature: why it helps you feel better, what may be happening in your brain and body when you’re in nature, and how to get some of the benefits even when you can’t be outside.

We’ve had pretty extreme weather in Chile over the last few weeks, with heavy rains and storms. My kids’ school was also canceled a few times because it was too dangerous outside.

Normally, I love being outside and I’m privileged to have a garden, but the recent weather conditions meant we had to stay indoors more than usual. I miss being outside because it makes me feel good, and science is increasingly discovering these benefits, too.

It makes sense that nature contact is good for humans because we evolved in natural environments.

Biologist E. O. Wilson popularized the biophilia hypothesis, the idea that humans may have an innate tendency to feel connected with nature and living things.

Researchers are studying the benefits of nature contact in humans, and how it may influence mood, stress, attention, and emotional regulation.

When you think about nature contact, you probably picture a forest, a park, or a lake, and these are good examples indeed. But it goes beyond being in a green space (like a park or forest) or a blue space (like a lake, river, or ocean).

There are structured ways of nature immersion, such as the Japanese tradition of Shinrin-Yoku (forest bathing), where you go into a forest and take it in with all your senses. And there are other forms of contact that even work indoors, such as images or videos of nature, nature sounds, or indoor plants.

Even these rather minimal, indoor forms of nature contact already have benefits.

Nature has beneficial effects on a range of different functions. A recent literature review focuses specifically on how nature contact can both promote positive affective processes and decrease negative ones to make you feel better.

Some highlights of how nature can promote positive affective processes:

Some highlights of how nature can diminish negative affective processes:

We know that nature works, but a big question is why. Here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of five candidate mechanisms discussed in the review:

Emotion regulation influences which emotions you experience, when and to what extent, and how you express them.

Here, nature could be useful in different ways:

Some people intentionally choose to visit a natural setting to help them calm down and reduce stress. Nature can also help you shift your attention away from your own problems and gain another perspective on them, which ultimately shapes your emotions. And there’s also a preventive aspect in that you can use nature to prevent unpleasant affective states before they can occur.

So, nature is a tool to regulate your emotions in different ways.

There’s a known link between inflammation and mental health problems. The anti-inflammatory properties of nature (e.g., the chemicals released by plants and soil) could be another mechanism by which nature contact supports affective well-being.

Different substances in nature could also change the human microbiome, a complex mix of microorganisms that live in your body and on your skin.

The microbiome plays an important role in mental health; for example, the gut microbiome influences the brain through the gut-brain axis, and it is linked to psychological well-being.

Nature contact seems to increase microbiome diversity and might also decrease potentially harmful bacteria.

Sleep is another candidate mechanism. The idea is that being in nature promotes healthy sleep, which in turn improves your emotional well-being.

Nature could improve sleep through stress reduction, increased exposure to natural sunlight (which helps regulate your biological clock), and probably other mechanisms that still remain to be explored.

There’s more and more research showing that physical activity does a lot more than “just” keep your body fit: It’s also a great tool for brain function and mental health.

What it has to do with nature: Being in nature often involves some kind of physical activity, such as walking, jogging, biking, or gardening. Physical activity in nature is a great way to support your mental health, although indoor activity or activity in an urban environment also works.

Here are the 5 mechanisms summarized in a picture:

We evolved in natural environments, and so it’s no wonder they are good for us. In this edition, we focused on how nature improves your emotional well-being, but the benefits of nature go way beyond that.

So if you can, try to increase your nature contact by visiting more green or blue (water) spaces and adding more nature into your life. Even just taking care of a few potted plants could already improve your well-being.

Some concrete, simple actions you could try today:

Nature is one of the simplest ways to support your nervous system and one that many of us still underestimate.

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What else I’ve been up to:

My latest article on Medium covers 5 sleep myths and the science behind them. A must-read if you want to improve your sleep and cut through the social media noise:

Contains a friend link at the beginning of the article so you can read it even if you’re not a Medium member!

That’s it for today!

And now?

Until next time!

Best wishes,

Patricia (Dr. Patricia Schmidt) from creatorschmidt.com

P.S.:

Disclaimer:
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