A simple 90 minute nature walk could help reduce brain activity associated with depression. Sigh.
In a letter to the publishers of the Oxford Junior Dictionary, Margaret Atwood & other notable authors, expressed serious concern that over the years words associated with nature are being systematically dropped from its editions.
Words like Acorn, Dandelion, Porcupine & Tulip have been jettisoned in favour of Blog, Chatroom, Voicemail and MP3 Player.
The freaked out writers pleaded that "nature and culture have been linked from the beginnings of our history" and "for the first time ever, that link is in danger of becoming unraveled, to the detriment of society, culture, and the natural environment."
Atwood & crew are on point. The reduced role of nature in our lives is leading to serious consequences. Urbanization has increased levels of mental illness and researchers have been looking into the possible effects of a nature deficit on our mental health.
According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy Of Sciences a 90 minute Nature walk helped reduce brain activity associated with depression. But a similar walk through the concrete jungle did not produced the same benefits.
Japan is way ahead of the game here. They are balancing their urban sprawl with increased appreciation of the natural world. In 1982 the Japanese added “Forest Therapy” to their national health program and have since certified over 60 forest sites for therapeutic uses. And this isn’t just some tree-hugging hokum either. There’s a growing body of research that suggests spending time in nature can elevate immune function, generate anti-cancer proteins, lowers stress and decrease blood pressure.
The evidence is compelling, so much so that the South Korean government piggybacked on the Japanese and has poured over 140 million into a National Forest Therapy Centre.
But, what if you don’t live in Japan, Korea or even near a forest. Well, our biological neediness for nature is so significant that it can even give you a contact high. Smelling essential oils from trees has been shown to decrease stress and and more impressively, increase the Natural Killer Cells in our body which help fight tumours. The prestigious journal Science, published an analysis that found patients who had a room with a view of trees had shorter hospital stays and less complications after surgery. And maybe the most astonishing example of nature’s power over of us comes from a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, which showed subjects who were exposed to a stressful event showed greater recovery when viewing a picture - A PICTURE - of a green space.
So get out to a park, buy some plants for your desk and google image search some trees for your computer’s background.
As much as it pains me to say this, the tree-huggers were totally right.