Human history has mostly taken place in green environments, with vast savannahs and forested river valleys hosting our ancestors for millions of years.
By comparison, cities represent a radically new type of habitat that, despite its many benefits, often harms our mental health. Research has linked urban environments to an increased risk of anxiety, depression and other mental health problems, including schizophrenia.
Fortunately, research also points to a solution: visiting the wilderness, even briefly, is associated with a range of mental and physical health benefits, including lower blood pressure, reduced anxiety and depression, improved mood, better focus, better sleep, better memory and faster healing.
Several research have corroborated this association, but there is still much to discover. Can just walking in the woods generate all of these good brain changes? And if so, how?
According to research, rural people’ amygdalas are less stimulated during stress than city dwellers, however this does not necessarily imply that rural life causes this effect. It could be the converse, with those who naturally possess this trait being more inclined to live in the countryside.
Field research led to interesting conclusions.
Participants who walked in the forest reported greater refocusing and pleasure of the stroll than those who walked in the city, which is consistent with the findings of the fMRI study and earlier studies.
The researchers also discovered something unusual about the subjects as they were roaming around the city. Although their amygdala activity did not reduce as much as that of individuals who strolled in nature, it did not rise even after an hour in a busy metropolitan setting.
In any case, the current study provides some of the most compelling evidence yet that taking a walk in a nearby forest, like our ancestors did, can reduce stress-related brain activity.
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