If you notice feeling more centered and less stressed after spending time walking in nature, it’s not just an emotional response. Even though we’ve understood the way nature can impact wellbeing, we’re now finding changes within the brain right after walking in nature which proves just how influential it can be. One Hour in Nature Shapes the Brain: Exploring the profound impact of spending time outdoors on cognitive function and neurological health.
After walking for one hour in a forest, the brain experiences changes. Research finds that when compared to shopping on a street with traffic, the walk in nature decreases activity in the brain regions that are activated during times of stress. The amygdala, responsible for processing emotions like fear and anxiety, showed the most significant changes in the brain scans. The MRI scans of 63 healthy adults were compared after they walked in nature or shopped in a city environment.
Nature’s Brain Boost
Walking or spending time in nature, particularly around green trees, is highly beneficial for mental health—a concept known as “forest bathing” in Japan. Most of us have experienced this ourselves, but the evidence shows that it’s making measurable changes within the brain. In the experiment, even after walking in the urban environment, no increases in stress activity were noted. Stress levels and amygdala activation remained stable, contrary to the belief that city environments increase stress.
While it’s not getting worse while in the city, stress levels can be mitigated and better emotional. Mental health can be achieved within just one hour of walking among green areas. It’s a great way to get exercise and find yourself in a better frame of mind than when you started.
Further Reading
Sonja Sudimac, Vera Sale, Simone Kühn. How nature nurtures: Amygdala activity decreases as the result of a one-hour walk in nature. Molecular Psychiatry, 2022; DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01720-6
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