Spending time in nature is a great way to keep mental and physical health in order. This is not about walking down the street or riding in a bus or car. Maybe you are just lying on the ground, watching birds play swiftly on the branches of the trees, observing green leaves shaking in the wind, dew drops falling on the ground. We should even if it’s for a moment only. Research shows that we get big health benefits from spending time in such natural spaces. It is not just about health benefits we get from playing sports and doing other outdoor activities. Anne Schutte A developmental psychologist, Schutte works at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. There, she studies the effect of nature on attention and memory. Research by her and others is now revealing that people who spend time in nature tend to breathe cleaner air. But there’s more. That outdoor time also can help people once they move indoors again. They are better able to stay focused, soothe stress and much more. When we are indoors, in cities or other built environments, our brains have to work harder to focus. One reason is that these places are full of people, vehicles and other things that surround us with constant movement and sound. Those things use up our focused attention, Schutte says. “It’s kind of a finite resource. And when we get to a certain point, we have to take a break and let it rest,” she says. Natural environments are different, she notes. We can let our minds wander in this environment. And that recharges our ability to focus, she says.
Nature doesn’t just improve attention. It also boosts mental health in other ways, too. People in cities are more likely to experience mood disorders, anxiety and depression than those living in rural areas.