Are you a fan of spending your lunch breaks in a park? Or do you walk your dog around them each morning and evening? Well, we have good news: spending just 20 minutes in a park every day will make you happier and less stressed — regardless of whether or not you're exercising while you're there.
Two new studies have shown the benefits of spending time in parks. The latest, from the University of Michigan, suggests spending at least 20 minutes walking or sitting in a place where you're in contact with nature significantly lowers stress hormone levels. Lead researcher MaryCarol Hunter said, “You don't have to travel to the wildlands. Getting out of an office block and sitting next to a tree can be enough.”
In a separate study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, researchers found people who visited their local urban parks felt happier. “Overall, we found park visitors reported an improvement in emotional wellbeing after the park visit,”said lead researcher Hon Yuen.“We did not find that levels of physical activity were related to improved emotional wellbeing. Instead, we found that time spent in the park was related to improved emotional wellbeing.”
The results are perhaps unsurprising — multiple studies have previously highlighted the benefits of nature on a person's mental health. A review of nature interventions for mental health care found that nature-based activities contributed to a reduction in levels of anxiety, stress and depression.
Meanwhile, a separate study by King's College London researchers found being outdoors, seeing trees, hearing birdsong, looking at the sky, and feeling in contact with nature were associated with higher levels of mental wellbeing. In some cases, these beneficial effects impacted people positively for up to seven hours afterwards.
All of these studies emphasise the need to design greener cities for the future and protect our existing parks.
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