Dr's Casebook: Get outdoors and let nature nurture you and your brain

During the pandemic it has been so important for people to get outdoors.
Spending time outdoors reduces stress. Photo: Getty ImagesSpending time outdoors reduces stress. Photo: Getty Images
Spending time outdoors reduces stress. Photo: Getty Images

New research suggests that not only is getting outside good for one’s psychological well-being, but it is good for the brain.

Indeed, it may be the effect on the brain that is responsible for lifting one’s spirits.

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Previous research published in Frontiers of Psychology, found that taking a “nature pill” can significantly reduce your stress hormone levels.

It has been known for years that spending time in nature reduces stress, but it is unclear how much of a nature fix you need to actually do that.

The researchers therefore tried to quantify it and called it taking a “nature pill”.

They found that sitting or walking in a place that provides you with a sense of nature for 20 to 30 minutes a day significantly reduced the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

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The latest research from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, which has just been published in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, builds on this.

In this study six healthy, middle-aged city dwellers were followed up for six months, and had repeated magnetic resonance imaging scans, or MRIs.

They focused on self-reported activities during the 24 hours before each scan.

This especially looked at the time the individuals spent outside and how they spent it.

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In addition, they were asked about their fluid intake, consumption of caffeinated drinks and how much exercise or activity they took to see if any of these factors altered the association between time spent outside and the brain.

Remarkably, brain scans showed that being outdoors showed enhancement of the grey matter in specific parts of the frontal cortex, the front of the brain that is associated with planning and cognitive control.

This area is known to be associated with a reduction in grey matter in many psychiatric conditions, including depression and anxiety.

So it is an important part to study.

The researchers performed detailed statistical analyses, which showed that time spent outdoors had a positive effect on the grey matter irrespective of the other factors.

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They concluded that memory, concentration and well-being all improved, in line with the enhanced grey matter seen on the scans.

So, try to disconnect from technology, get outside and let nature nurture you and your brain.