Individuals who visit natural spaces weekly, and feel psychologically connected to them, report better physical and mental wellbeing, new research has shown.
Individuals who visit natural spaces weekly, and feel psychologically connected to them, report better physical and mental wellbeing, new research has shown.
Alongside the benefits to public health, those who make weekly nature visits, or feel connected to nature, are also more likely to behave in ways which promote environmental health, such as recycling and conservation activities.
The findings of the study, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, indicate that reconnecting with nature could be key to achieving synergistic improvements to human and planetary health.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Plymouth, Natural England, the University of Exeter and University of Derby, and is the first to investigate – within a single study – the contribution of both nature contact and connection to human health, wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviours.
Read more at University of Plymouth
Image: Drake's Place Gardens at the University of Plymouth. A new study led by the University shows individuals who visit natural spaces weekly report better physical and mental wellbeing. (Credit: University of Plymouth)
