Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
This review sums up research showing that being in or exposed to nature is linked to better mental functioning and mood. Lab and field experiments find short-term improvements in stress and mood from nature sights, sounds, and walks in green places. Population studies also find people living near green or…
This review combined 143 studies (103 observational and 40 intervention) that looked at about 100 health outcomes to see how contact with greenspace relates to health. Overall, more greenspace exposure was linked with lower stress markers, lower heart rate and some lower blood pressure, and with lower risks for outcomes…
This meta-analysis of observational studies found that higher exposure to green space was linked with slightly lower odds of depression and possibly lower odds of anxiety. A 10% increase in the amount of green space was associated with lower odds of depression (OR 0.963; 95% CI 0.948–0.979) and with a…
There is increasing evidence that exposure to plants and green space, and particularly to gardening, is beneficial to mental and physical health, and so could reduce the pressure on NHS services. Health professionals should therefore encourage their patients to make use of green space and to work in gardens, and…
Seventy-four young men walked for 15 minutes in both a forest and an urban area, with saliva taken before and after each walk. Mean salivary cortisol dropped after the forest walk (from 9.70 to 8.37 nmol/L) but hardly changed after the urban walk (from 10.28 to 10.01 nmol/L). Statistical tests…
This review looked at studies from the past decade on whether walking in nature affects depression and anxiety. Seven studies met the review rules, and data from six experiments were combined in a meta-analysis. The pooled results showed reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms after nature walks, both when people…
Researchers followed 37 people who attended a one-week residential wellness retreat in rural Queensland. They measured many health and well-being outcomes on arrival, at departure, and again 6 weeks later (17 people were followed at 6 weeks). After one week, participants showed statistically significant improvements in most measures, including weight,…
This review says work-related stress has grown and harms both workers (for example, depression and anxiety) and companies (for example, more absenteeism and lower productivity). It describes two prevention approaches: individual approaches that teach coping and resilience (including mindfulness) and organizational changes that alter work conditions (including adding natural elements).…
This paper is a conceptual review about using outdoor, nature-based interventions (NBIs) to help prevent and treat depression. It does not present new trial data but argues we need to know the specific “active ingredients” that might make NBIs helpful. The authors list five possible mechanisms (stress, rumination, mindfulness, sleep,…
This 2019 scoping review explores how the four classical elements—Fire, Water, Earth, and Air—can map onto modern, changeable exposures and therapies that might affect mental health. The authors summarize emerging evidence from both population studies and intervention trials for things like UV or heat therapy (Fire), sauna and hydrotherapy (Water),…
This systematic review pooled 75 randomized trials with 8,636 people to see if walking changes symptoms of depression and anxiety. In adults, walking reduced depressive symptoms (SMD −0.591, 95% CI −0.778 to −0.403, P
This randomised study tested whether a week of daily 35-minute mindful walks in nature helped university students with sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 104 students were assigned to either a nature or an urban walking route and measured before and after the week. Both groups showed…
