Man is an outdoor animal. He toils at desks and talks of ledgers and parlors and art galleries but the endurance that brought him these was developed by rude ancestors, whose claim to kinship he would scorn and whose vitality he has inherited and squandered. He is what he is by reason of countless ages of direct contact with nature.
--James H. McBride, MD, Journal of the American Medical Association, 1902
Right now, in later spring, nature seems at its finest. The foliage is lush and green, the birds wake us up at an early dawn, and there’s colour everywhere.
Now that I’m retired, I have more time to appreciate this gift. Yet even when I had (or made) less time to enjoy nature, I intuitively knew that it was important to my well-being. That’s probably why I picked up Your Brain on Nature: The Science of Nature’s Influence on Your Health, Happiness, and Vitality (2012) over ten years ago, and it essentially reinforced what I strongly suspected to be true.
A key strength of this book is the evidence it puts forward about the benefits of nature exposure to human health, particularly brain health. Such evidence has increased in the years since publication but, at the time, this book was invaluable in bringing together foundational research on this topic.
Healers within various medical systems, from Ayurveda to traditional Chinese medicine, have long advocated nature exposure as a form of medicine. As humans made a transition from rural life to urban civilizations, even greater emphasis was placed on the medicinal effects of nature. In the late 1800s, the notion of unspoilt nature as a mental healer gained popularity in North America. Medical doctors began to prescribe nature exposure to reduce stress and improve mental outlook. At that time, this practice was not based on evidence; “it was a return to the intuitive recommendations of the ancient healers.”
Unfortunately, that trend was not sustained. A variety of changes served to end a focus on nature’s therapeutic powers for many decades, including a demand for scientific validation of health claims (and fair enough). Another powerful force was the emergence of pharmaceutical solutions to life’s stresses and strains.
The book outlines many research studies, which use a variety of research methods including brain scanning/functional MRI, biological measures, questionnaires, and performance testing. While there are too many findings to summarize in one blog post, I thought I would share a few findings that caught my eye:
- Hospitalized gall bladder surgery patients with a view of green space had: shorter hospital stays, fewer post-surgical complaints, and used less potent pain medications that those who looked out onto a brick wall;
- In various
controlled international studies, greater proximity to greenspace was
associated with lower mortality, including dying from stroke, and protection
against certain cancers;
- Just a
20-minute walk in an urban park (as opposed to walking in areas with mostly
buildings) resulted in children with ADD having much higher cognitive
performance on post-walk attention-related tasks. The improvement in cognitive
function matched that reported for two top-selling ADHD medications;
- Placing plants
within a hospital radiology department decreased sick leave by 60%; and,
- Not surprisingly,
there is a positive relationship between persons identifying with/feeling connected
to nature and pro-environmental attitudes and efforts.
Another theme running through this book is the potential negative health impacts of technology on physical health, mental health, and cognitive health. The authors: both doctors (one a medical doctor, the other a naturopathic doctor), are quick to point out that they are not anti-technology. But they do present evidence of an association between time spent on screen-based gadgets and the prevalence of negative brain impacts such as increased stress, depression, anxiety, impulsivity; diminished cognitive edge; attention fatigue, and decreased empathy.
With a significant rise in screen culture has come a decrease in nature-based recreation. Researchers suggest that the easy availability of fast-moving, screen-based stimulation and hyperreality may reduce the excitement factor of nature. As well, and obviously, the many hours spent in front of a screen means less hours available to spend in nature. In 1988, in the United States, national park visits “started on their current downward trend.”
Again, there is so much information in this book that it’s hard to do it justice in this post. The book also touches on: specific elements of nature that act on the brain, green exercise, the benefits of gardening, nature therapies, the brain on nature’s nutrients (nutri-ecopsychology), even companion animals as a bridge to the natural world. Despite being published over a decade ago, all the issues it explores—particularly the role of screen-based technology in our lives—have only become more relevant in the intervening years.
Re-reading this book was a needed reminder of the clear health and brain benefits of engaging with nature. As the research demonstrates, a little can go a long way: a 20-minute walk in green space, a plant in the office or living room. And, while smartphones or tablets are not the villain, screen time comes with a price. So it's time to shut down this laptop and hop over to the park for a little forest bathing.
