How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain

New York Times ^ | July 22, 2015 | By Gretchen Reynolds

[Brad from Tennessee]

A walk in the park may soothe the mind and, in the process, change the workings of our brains in ways that improve our mental health, according to an interesting new study of the physical effects on the brain of visiting nature.

Most of us today live in cities and spend far less time outside in green, natural spaces than people did several generations ago.

City dwellers also have a higher risk for anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses than people living outside urban centers, studies show.

These developments seem to be linked to some extent, according to a growing body of research. Various studies have found that urban dwellers with little access to green spaces have a higher incidence of psychological problems than people living near parks and that city dwellers who visit natural environments have lower levels of stress hormones immediately afterward than people who have not recently been outside.

But just how a visit to a park or other green space might alter mood has been unclear. Does experiencing nature actually change our brains in some way that affects our emotional health?

[huldah1776]

what kind of bird is that? Farthest south I’ve been was Myrtle Beach for one day.

[Bigg Red]

Yesterday, while I was gardening, a butterfly landed on my knee to lap up some sweat. Watched him for a good 5 minutes before finally shooing him away so I could get back to work. Later, it occurred to me that some people would be freaked out by such and encounter.

I love being in nature.

[Bob434]

[[FYI...... as one with uncountable days in the “out of doors” i would inform you that my current foray is in a kayak where there are no polar bears, grizzly bears, wolves, wolvererines, coyotes, etc.]]

Lol, watch out for sea lions, great whites, hammer heads, makos, killer whales, angry pelicans, etc (just kidding)

[[One can paddle close enough to the shore to touch it with the paddle.

Herons and other fishers pay little attention until you are right on them. Sunning turtles are more wary but one can drift close enough to see their eyes, red ear and carapace markings.]]

I always wanted to get a kayak for this reason alone- I do photography, and have read people get incredibly close to animals in kayaks- there’s just something ‘unthreatening’ to the animals about the kayak- perhaps it’s the horizontal look to it- perhaps they feel it’s a seal or something-

There’s so much beaty and amazing creatures out there-

I still wander through the woods and will just sit and observe animals just doing hwat they do- it’s quite comical sometimes- and I’ve gotten some pretty cool photos from tiem to time-

I used to hunt, but really it was more about just beign out in the wilds than it was about harvesting meat- and the thrill of sneaking up on animals to within bow distance- Sometimes I’d just do that and not even take the animal- just see how close I could get before animal took off- I once had a deer almost run me over- it saw me at the last second (I was sitting at the base of a tree) and leapt sideways- That was defiantly worth the price of admission (my hunting license cost)- Never did get venison that year- but didn’t care- had a great time out in the wildrness

[Cboldt]

Cougars are found in the sports bars and similar “city” spaces.

[Bob434]

[[A walk in the woods is analogous to living LIFE, come what may. If you can’t handle it, then quit. ]]

Calm down and read my other posts- What I said was a joke! Context- context context!

[Bob434]

[[You really would hate it here though. It is an icy hell]]

Yeah I don’t do extreme cold very well, -30 Fahrenheit is my limit

[VanShuyten]

This study just reinforces all the other studies that show packed rats develop aberrant behaviors.

[expat2]

The problem with mental health in the cities is probably due largely to overcrowding. There is a famous study of rats in a closed environment. Initially, when the population was low, the rats behaved normally but, as the population-density grew the rats started behaving in depraved ways — homosexuality, eating rat infants, and other forms of infanticide, etc.

[nobamanomore]

I’d be quite willing to bet that I’ve walked more miles in nature before I was ten than this city dweller.. She’s never spent a week above the arctic circle packing out moose and caribou would be my guess.

[Bob434]

I gre3w up In the woods, I live In the woods, infact many people mistake me for bigfoot- I don’t just ‘walk in the woods’ I live it- I’ve been to spots so remote it would pucker your pooper, using nothing but the sun for a compass- no need to worry about whether or not I can ‘handle it’- but thanks for chiming in

[Paladin2]

And that is a large reason why I eschew large cities and feel confident in calling most of the inhabitants therein ‘Rats...

[semaj]

Understood.

[Bob434]

Exactly, a ‘walk In the wilderness to those folks is a stroll through central park (although central park is pretty wild, just in different ways- ie crime) or through Disney world’s theme park-

I’ve never packed out moose- (our moose permits were by lottery, and not many people got them) but even packing out a tiny by comparison 120 lb deer on foot, by yourself, over mountains and through woods so think you’d think you’d never see daylight again, is a ‘day at the gym’ a city person would never forget- (although the thought of killing hteir own food would be so repulsive to them they’d probably feint at the mere suggestion of it)

I’m not knocking city dwellers- they have their own particular brand of animals to deal with- and they are welcome to them- I want no part of that- but I think it’s just funny when they claim a walk I nthe part is ‘getting back to nature’ and ‘good fer the soul’ (To them I guess it is a relief of daily stress-)-

The Wilderness experience to me is sleeping under a log for protection against the rain, not bathing for 2 weeks or more (Noone around to smell ya anyways lol)- processing what you shoot and catch for your food, processing your water to make it safe to drink etc- making your own tools to process the food with out of obsidian, flint- making char cloth to start fires with flint an steel, watching animals observing their patters- etc- That to me is ‘soothing the soul’ or ‘getting in tune with nature’ or whatever-

“Going primitive” to some city folks would be going without cell phone for a couple of hours, or going without starbucks coffee 3 times a day

[expat2]

I forgot to mention the cannibalism that developed in the late stages. You do well to stay away from cities — someone may start getting fava beans with your name on them before too long. ;>)

[dfwgator]

You do well to stay away from cities — someone may start getting fava beans with your name on them before too long.

If you go to a restaurant and ask for a menu, and they hand you a mirror instead.....RUN!

[1_Rain_Drop]

"Looks like the root causes of Liberalism have been unearthed - too much city dwelling."

They're not much different out here in the country. Liberalism IS a mental disorder with no cure. They just push the "Green thing" even more so up here because, you know, country folk know nuting.

[Terry L Smith]

Dear bigg red,

I live in rural-urban Louisiana, just far enough from the bigger town, in a town carved out from the woods.

I have wild birds to feed, and watch, little gecko lizards with their ballooning scarlet throats standing guard on my porch rails, bug-eating bats hiding out in niches of the under-roof near my door, carpenter bees that escort me as I go from and to my apartment door, dragonflies, both huge and darning needles, flitting about.

I watched folks move in and out, always freaked by the bats, thinking that they would be bit. They mindlessly swat at the bees (bad idea). they complain when, in nesting times, the birds swoop at them, meanwhile leave me alone.

I put out seed for the birds, as they would find it themselves, not in feeders. When i lived in New Orleans, where a five inch long dragonfly was not uncommon, I would coax one onto a finger, and walk along, looking at it, studying it, while it rested there. Amazing creatures, all.

[cripplecreek]

I think we decided it was a young night heron.

[Terry L Smith]

dear bob,

just send that loving liberal a newly dead squirrel, at book rate, while it is still ‘summer dog days’.

[Terry L Smith]

dear bob,

How do you think the phrase:
“having more fun than adults are allowed to have”, came from?