What’s New in Psychology?
Tell Your Clients to Go Outside
Jim Windell
Don’t tell your clients to get lost. Just tell them to go outside.
Research over several years suggests that exposure to nature has positive effects on both the mental and physical health of adults. Specifically, being out in nature seems to reduce rumination and improve cognition and mood, decreases stress. In addition, studies show that nature-based interventions result in improved affect, increased energy, and more focused attention. And recent studies point to reduced anger, sadness and anxiety. And it all comes about from being out in the natural environment.
How is this explained? There are a range of theories that attempt to explain nature’s effect on humans. One theory suggests that being overstimulated in urban environments for long periods leads to stress, whereas low-stimulus environments such as those found in rural areas afford opportunity for recovery. Other theories center around evolutional stances, stress reduction theory, and attention restoration theory. This latter theory posits that natural environments are likely to be restorative, in that they are away, provide fascination, and are compatible with human needs. When all theories are combined, they suggest that humans evolved in natural environments and thus have an affinity for nature. In effect, we are more at home in nature compared with urban environments and receive a sense of solace from nature.
A new study, a meta-analysis examining 30 years of published research on the social, mental and physical health effects of exposure to nature, including urban nature, finds that spending time in nature – even as little at 10 minutes – can yield short-term benefits for adults with mental illness. Published in the journal Ecopsychology, lead author of the study Joanna Bettmann, a professor at the University of Utah College of Social Work, found 14,168 studies that met their initial search criteria. Bettmann and her research team carefully narrowed their analysis to focus on 45 studies, which included a total of 1,492 adult participants with a diagnosed mental illness. Some of the examined experiences included structured therapeutic interventions, while some involved nature experiences alone.
The amount of time study participants spent in nature varied from study to study; some participants spent as little as 10 minutes in a city park, while others spent multiple days in immersive wilderness experiences. Some of the included studies utilized interval exposure to nature; shorter time periods, several times a week or a month. Others used longer periods of continuous, immersive nature exposure. Yet, different durations and patterns of nature exposure all produced positive results.
The authors write in their published article that “Ten minutes in urban nature is far less intimidating, expensive and time-consuming for people who do not have the time, resources, interest, community support or equipment to venture into the wilderness for days or weeks.”
Results also indicated that water-based outdoor spaces – rivers, lakes, oceans – and camping, farming, and gardening activities had the greatest positive effect. Urban nature, mountains and forests also offered significant effects.
“All of these different types of outdoor spaces delivered positive results, which underscores the importance of preserving green spaces in our natural and built environments,” says Bettmann.
The conclusions of this latest study are clear: prescribing that your clients spend time outside enjoying the wonderful natural environment may be one of the best things you can do for them. It is an effective intervention for improving the mental health of patients.
To read the original study, find it with this reference:
Bettmann, J.E., Schaefer, J. Speelman, E., Blumenthal, E., Couch, & Schmalz, D.L. (2024). Nature Exposure, Even as Little as 10 Minutes, is Likely to Yield Short-Term Benefits for Adults with Mental Illness: A Meta Analysis. Ecopsychology. https://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2023.0063
