Let's talk about: Our senses

let’s

ta l k

about

our senses & us

Nature and its affect on our health

The importance of getting out of the city and into the countryside cannot be understated. There is a science behind the great outdoors, and much has been written about the health benefits of spending more time in green spaces and immersed in nature.

In 2014, a study was published on the benefits of ‘the great outdoors’ on mental health. The authors stated that having greater exposure to the natural world may well result in benefits to our mental wellbeing.

More people are forced to live in urban environments, with city stress, which they refer to as ‘hard fascination’. On the other hand, ‘soft fascination’ is the pleasure derived from visualising or experiencing green space.

Even just watching a movie of outdoor scenery has been shown to lower stress.

Obtaining more soft fascination is called attentional restorative therapy (ART). Optimal ART involves being immersed in a new environment. This means you are more likely to benefit from going on a camping trip in the forest than simply looking at a woodland mural.

Source: Frontiers journal www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4204431

in the

red corner...

Hard facination

in the

vs

blue corner...

soft facination

People who live and work in urban environments

People who live, work or immerse in natural environments

Likely to develop stress as a result of a busy lifestyle

Lowers stress and makes one feel calmer

Leading to cognitive fatigue

Improves ones mental health

In a study published in 2017, researchers reviewed the benefits of nature on the five senses.

They found evidence to suggest being outdoors is beneficial for them all.

Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5580568

Evidence that experiences of nature can benefit people has accumulated rapidly. Yet perhaps because of the domination of the visual sense in humans, most research has focused on the visual aspects of nature experiences.

However, humans are multisensory, and it seems likely that many benefits are delivered through the non-visual senses and these are potentially avenues through which a physiological mechanism could occur. Here we review the evidence around these lesser studied sensory pathways—through sound, smell, taste, touch, and three non-sensory pathways. Natural sounds and smells underpin experiences of nature for many people, and this may well be rooted in evolutionary psychology. Tactile experiences of nature, particularly beyond animal petting, are understudied yet potentially fundamentally important.

Tastes of nature, through growing and consuming natural foods, have been linked with a range of health and wellbeing benefits. Beyond the five senses, evidence is emerging for other non-visual pathways for nature experiences to be effective. These include ingestion or inhalation of phytoncides, negative air ions and microbes. We conclude that (i) these non-visual avenues are potentially important for delivering benefits from nature experiences; (ii) the evidence base is relatively weak and often based on correlational studies; and (iii) deeper exploration of these sensory and nonsensory avenues is needed.

Vision

Hearing

Smell

Being able to see nature has been shown to have numerous health benefits. Studies show that hospital patients who have a bedroom that looks out over trees and plants are observed by nurses to have less negative mood and attitude and are discharged from hospital more quickly. Simply looking at nature reduces stress.

Humans show a preference for listening to sounds of nature such as water, wind, and animal sounds instead of city noise and traffic. Listening to bird song has been shown to reduce stress. Noise pollution, a big problem in cities, increases stress, cardiovascular symptoms, raised blood pressure, sleep disorders, and increases the risk of a heart attack.

Natural fragrances from plants have been shown to cause pleasure and relaxation. Our sense of smell is connected to the hippocampus in the brain, where we store our memories, and pleasant smells can help soothe our emotions. They can also stimulate hunger and appetite. Much has now been realised about the therapeutic effect, for example, of essential oils.

Taste

(this is actually Braille for the word ‘touch’)

Touch

Food comes from nature. What we eat is fundamental to our health. The taste of food is crucial to our willingness to eat.

It’s important to eat the right foods and for our bodies to get the right cues, so we know when we are full - many emotions re involved in what and how we eat. Eating outdoors, with lowered stress, may have advantages.

We must not underestimate the importance of touch – vital for humans for social contact and bonding. One way we can achieve this is by petting animals. Pets have been shown to reduce loneliness, improve health and reduce the need for doctors’ visits.

Outdoors, there is much more opportunity to touch the soil, the plants, and trees. Trees and plants emit substances called phytoncides - which we inhale. These have been shown to stimulate the immune system, and animal studies have been shown to reduce stress and improve relaxation.

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