Curiosities

All studies show us that there are many benefits to the mind when we spend time in nature. Here are a few: Those who lament too much, or concentrate too much on their negative thoughts, may exhibit anxiety, depression, and other problems. In a recent study, researchers showed that spending time in nature positively affects not to overwhelm us, as well as finding that walking reduces obsessive and negative thoughts. In this study, the researchers compared rumination reported by participants who, on the one hand, walked through an urban environment and, on the other, in a natural environment. They found that those who walked for 90 minutes in a natural setting reported lower levels of rumination and negativity as well as reduced neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex associated with mental illness. Those who walked through an urban environment did not enjoy these benefits. Researchers indicated that our world is increasingly urbanized and that urbanization is connected to depression and other types of mental illness. So, occasionally getting out of this urban environment to spend time out doors, in the field where there are fewer stressors, less noise and fewer distractions, can be an advantage to our mental health.