Nature as medicine: how much time outdoors you need
Stress
Key points
- Meta-analysis of 140+ studies: green spaces are linked to lower cortisol, heart rate and blood pressure.
- At least 120 minutes a week in nature: more likely to report good health and well-being.
- One long visit or several short ones both work.
- A 90-minute nature walk reduced rumination in an experiment.
Why nature calms us
Natural environments seem to engage attention gently, without the constant demands of city life, which may let the brain recover.
What the research shows
Green space and health. A systematic review and meta-analysis of more than 140 studies found that greater exposure to green space was linked to lower salivary cortisol, heart rate and blood pressure, as well as lower risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular death (Twohig-Bennett & Jones, 2018).
120 minutes a week. In a survey of nearly 20,000 people in England, those who spent at least 120 minutes in nature in the previous week were significantly more likely to report good health and high well-being. It did not matter whether the time came in one visit or several (White et al., 2019).
Rumination. In a Stanford experiment, participants who took a 90-minute walk in a natural area reported less rumination and showed reduced activity in a brain region linked to repetitive negative thinking, compared with those who walked along a busy road (Bratman et al., 2015).
How to get your 120 minutes
- A 20-minute walk in a park on most days.
- A weekend hike, beach visit or picnic.
- Gardening or a community garden.
- Lunch outdoors.
Caveat
Most studies are observational; healthier people may visit nature more. But spending time outdoors is low-risk and often enjoyable.
Frequently asked questions
Does a city park count?
Yes. Parks, trees along streets, waterfronts and gardens all count as nature in these studies.
What if I cannot get outside?
Even views of greenery, indoor plants or nature sounds may help a little, though being outdoors is best.
Sources
- Twohig-Bennett et al. (2018). The health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes. Environmental Research 166:628-637. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2018.06.030
- White et al. (2019). Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Scientific Reports 9(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-019-44097-3
- Bratman et al. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(28):8567-8572. doi:10.1073/pnas.1510459112
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