Washington, June 4 (IANS) Feeling sluggish? The solution may require getting outside the box – that big brick-and-mortar box called a building. Being outside in nature makes people feel more alive, find a series of studies.
And that sense of increased vitality exists above and beyond the energising effects of physical activity and social interaction, often associated with our forays into the natural world, the studies show.
‘Nature is fuel for the soul,’ says Richard Ryan, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester (UR), who led the study.
‘Often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energised is to connect with nature,’ he says. The findings, adds Ryan, are important for both mental and physical health.
‘Research has shown that people with a greater sense of vitality don’t just have more energy for things they want to do, they are also more resilient to physical illnesses,’ says Ryan.
For example, people on wilderness excursions report feeling more alive and that just recalling outdoor experiences increases feelings of happiness and health.
To tease out the effects of nature alone, the authors conducted five separate experiments, involving 537 college students in actual and imagined contexts.
In one experiment, participants were led on a 15-minute walk through indoor hallways or along a tree-lined river path.
In another, the undergraduates viewed photographic scenes of buildings or landscapes.
A third experiment required students to imagine themselves in a variety of situations both active and sedentary, inside and out, and with and without others.
Two final experiments tracked participants’ moods and energy levels throughout the day using diary entries.
Over either four days or two weeks, students recorded their exercise, social interactions, time spent outside, and exposure to natural environments, including plants and windows.
Across all methodologies, individuals consistently felt more energetic when they spent time in natural settings or imagined themselves in such situations.
The findings were particularly robust, notes Ryan; being outside in nature for just 20 minutes in a day was enough to significantly boost vitality levels, said an UR release.
The paper builds on earlier research by Ryan, Netta Weinstein, psychologist at the University of Hamburg, Germany, showing that people are more caring and generous when exposed to nature.
These findings were published in the June issue of the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
