Six Benefits of Spending Time in Nature

The average American spent 4.2 hours per day using mobile devices alone, plus another three hours per day watching TV, according to data collected between 2019 and 2021. Meanwhile, as of 2019, nearly half of the US population didn’t take part in outdoor activities even once that year. This disengagement from the natural world is associated with increased rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, among other problems. At the same time, interest is growing in the ways nature can restore our health and well-being. Research has shown that nature can improve vision, memory, and concentration; restore mental energy; relieve stress; reduce inflammation; sharpen thinking; and expand creativity.

Returning to nature can help us experience ourselves and others more deeply and enjoy renewed feelings of health and wholeness.

Florence Williams, in her book The Nature Fix, reports the following findings from research into the benefits of nature for humans:

After five minutes in a forest surrounded by trees, the heart rate slows, facial muscles relax, and the prefrontal cortex quiets.

Water and birdsong improve mood and alertness.

Spending 15 minutes in nature can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Spending time in natural landscapes increases alpha waves in the brain, which are associated with calm and alertness.

Spending an hour and a half in nature reduces rumination and helps us to be less preoccupied with problems.

1 2 3 4 5 6

Spending two hours (120 minutes) per week in nature can make us happier and boost overall health and well-being.