Walking is good for your health. But walking somewhere natural is even better, according to a new Stanford-led study.
Study participants who walked in a natural area for 90 minutes showed less activity in a brain region associated with depression than those who walked through a city or other urban area, a Stanford News story states. From the piece:
"These results suggest that accessible natural areas may be vital for mental health in our rapidly urbanizing world," said co-author Gretchen Daily, the Bing Professor in Environmental Science and a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. "Our findings can help inform the growing movement worldwide to make cities more livable, and to make nature more accessible to all who live in them."
Even further, the research supports — but does not prove — a link between urbanization and growing rates of mental illness, said co-author James Gross, PhD, a professor of psychology.
The researchers had one group of participants walk in a grassland with oak trees and shrubs. The other group walked along a traffic-clogged four-lane road. They then measured heart and respiration rates, performed brain scans and had the participants answer a series of questions. The results showed that:
Neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, a brain region active during rumination – repetitive thought focused on negative emotions – decreased among participants who walked in nature versus those who walked in an urban environment.
Evidence that supports the knowledge you've had since grade school: The outdoors really can make you feel better.
Previously: To get your creative juices flowing, start moving, A look at the effects of city living on mental health and Out-of-office autoreply: Reaping the benefits of nature
Photo by Linda A. Cicero/Stanford News Service
