Why Does Nature Make You Feel Better?

It’s not a huge surprise that nature is beneficial to our mental health. But why?
Hosted by: Hank Green
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[@Master_Therion]

Why go outside to look at the greenery? That's why I watch SciShow and Vlogbrothers... the Greenery.

[@feynstein1004]

Ba dum tss

[@pridefulobserver3807]

i keep seeing you in every video of my recomended and suscribed channels, damn you're near close to that guy without a moustache... good on you both thought, good taste

[@feynstein1004]

+joaquin vega Who?

[@pridefulobserver3807]

just some guy without a mustache

[@Richard-Freeman]

Yeah... But grass and trees don't burn the moment sunlight hits them.

[@Linkous12]

I don't think it's that being in nature makes us feel better, it's that *being away from our natural habitat makes us feel bad*.

[@aaron6087]

you do you

[@yuno9121]

I agree, I can't go a day without using my chainsaw to slice up cacti in nature

[@domib.3924]

I agree, we evolved in nature. We don't belong in cities, outside of it. For almost all of human history we have lived as a part of nature, as hunter gatherers. Not doing this makes us sick and the world sick. Nature only makes sense. It is the life for us.

[@mehere8038]

Probably why people in countries like Australia, where the natural world is blended into cities, tend to have higher happiness ratings. Even if sick & in bed, I can just open my curtains & see the trees moving in the wind & have birds regularly come to feed on the plants 1-2 metres from my window & of course I can hear all their noises day & night & I'm only 5km from the middle of one of the biggest cities in Australia

[@LiftPizzas]

Might have something to do with the fact that indoor environments are extremely plain, repetitive, boring, and overall understimulating. Walk outside and every leaf on every tree is different. Every blade of grass is different. Every flower is different. All the sounds and wind and smells are constantly changing. Pretty much all of your senses are filled. Being indoors is practically sensory deprivation in comparison.

[@yuno9121]

I doubt people would have only one type of chair in their house, all furniture is different too, sometimes I feel deprived when looking at nature because it's so empty

[@elenagibbons4719]

Twilight Sparkle how many chairs do you have though? Maybe five variations? In nature there are thousands. And what about all those neutral colors that are oh so popular for paint and the simple designs for decoration. And how many different sounds do you hear on one, only inside, and how many days do you hear the same sounds over and over again? When was the last time you were in a house that is more or different than the typical house?

[@JK79311]

Wait you watch mlp me too

[@JK79311]

Yeah like work , tv , and whatever routine you do can be boring but nature I always seems like it’s unexpected what will happen which is why it exciting and a great stimulant.

[@mehere8038]

If this was the reason, wouldn't people on the spectrum & with other brain functions where order was essential to them have an obvious opposite response to being outdoors in nature?

[@jrbrodiejrbrodie4568]

appreciation for nature and our environment should be part of grade school curriculum.

[@ardemus]

What about a serene, comfortable, or homey but synthetic environment? What about temperature, air movement, air makeup, scents, sounds? Those can all be varied independently in a controlled environment. What about just moving between two similar environments? What about getting stressed in one room, then moving to another without the stressors? Why nature does something is going to be elusive unless you isolate and test the variables individually. You can't conclude that nature has anything to do with it unless you show that some subset of variables that express in nature don't have the same effect without nature itself.

[@AlabasterJazz]

I agree. I think a lot of the benefits of nature are simply due to a dramatic, yet peaceful, change of environment. I get much of the same stress relief by walking in a mall, or going to a pool, or visiting an indoor garden than I do from camping, or visiting a farm. I think that natural spaces are just an easy way to provide this effect and so are more prominently studied than other options. Toss a bunch of people into a hostile natural environment, with no modern amenities, and it's bound to be much more stressful than just remaining in the city.

[@mankgestuart3163]

IM waiting for Muscle Hank!

[@DanielSMatthews]

Muscle Hank has nature growing between his toes.

[@mankgestuart3163]

Lol

[@Zedigan]

The sights, the sounds, the smells, the texture. Everything is great about it 🍃

[@thecreature7608]

Because it's awesome. In a bit more seriousness though, I have certainly noticed that it does. I am very much not a people person though, and adore animals, espessialy reptiles. Maybe it's because of the ambient noises that are always there, and always soothing, aside from those pesky alarm calls birds tend to scream out at the top of their lungs. Perhaps the way colour tends to blend together and the fact that it seems fresh and lively could be the reason to. Anyways, on to watching the video, and sorry this is so long, by my standards, for anyone who read this far and hot really annoyed that it seemed like I had not watched the video yet, which I had not.

[@BidoMaggot]

The Creature its real amphibian hours

[@MrBobor1]

It's obvious, it's natural for us to be in nature as we're and always have been a part of it until we created our own environments which don't resemble nature, our genotype hasn't changed though. We still perceive lush green vegetation as a good sign, it's alive, there might be food here! A barren concrete parking lot is something akin to a desert - no food source to be found - no good mood.

[@zakosist]

I think the same

[@fortitude9932]

Alan watts said this before we were born

[@theapocilip]

if I lived in a city surrounded by pavement and cars everyday I would be depressed too

[@_hector__]

theapocilip Small towns/Rural communities > Cities everyday You can be as free as you want

[@JackSparrow-tn6ic]

If you're a car guy, you will find enjoyment in cities! At least I do. Always nice to see a classic or sports car. Of course it doesn't beat really great landscapes.

[@yuno9121]

no one is depressed by living in cities, cities are the best when there's no pollution

[@NewMessage]

SOME nature. That poison Ivy stuff can drive you downright nuts.

[@ramiebashir7260]

A fantastic presentation and a great topic! You guys always seem to consistently and steadily improve your video qualities. All I can offer is my sincere thanks at the moment. Please keep educating us!

[@ThomasSorensen1]

This video very well correlates with my experience. I have severe ADHD and occasional mild bouts with depression and just walking around outside always makes me feel better, to the point I moved to a big city where I could commute on foot & public transport (instead of driving my car down the highway from the suburbs) specifically to spend more time outside and around other people to help with the depression. It doesn't even matter if I interact with anyone, just being reminded that I'm part of this big city in my little way makes me happy, and seeing the other crazy weirdos living their strange lives makes me happy, hell even knowing some of them feel lonely like me makes me feel less lonely. Sometimes when I'm home feeling bummed I'll convince myself not to go out for a walk because I have nowhere to go, no objective, but if I go anyway & just wander around for a bit maybe walk near the park at night or past the bars to see who's inside on a Tuesday night, I always end up feeling better. The more I meditated on it the more it seemed to me the peace & happiness was coming from the sense of belonging. I long ago came to terms with the cosmic scale insignificance of everything so I don't care if my part is 'insignificant', I'm still a part of this incredible machine that is life & I strive not to add suffering to other peoples' lives & people sometimes tell me I've added happiness and there's a good satisfaction in being part of that meaning in the here & now.

[@NewMessage]

I have Schizoid PD, and have more than a few Aspie tendencies.. Without nature in my life, I honestly don't think I'd still be around to annoy people on YT with my corny jokes.

[@paddleduck5328]

New Message haha nice to see you here :)

[@brentsander4849]

The Japanese have recognized this effect for some time shinrin yoku or forest bathing is a common practice for wellness and the science seems to back it up. Lower cortisol levels along with immune modulation are but two of the noted benefits.

[@gm4984]

I really enjoy when this show explain social behaviors, thank you Hank!

[@jonasschwalb2787]

I have a pretend-expert hypothesis: Our brains evolved primarily being in "natural" environments, which means that it is evolved to be better at processing the kinds of information you'd typically find in the kinds environments our ancestors spent most of their time in, aka nature. What this means is that being in nature let's you effortlessly perceive more information/complexity than being in environments which our brains are evolutionarily inexperienced with. More generally, you could say that environments (or other collections of stimuli, like screens) which we are either innately, or through experience, accustomed to being good at perceiving are effortlessly stimulating. This allows you to relax without being bored. Btw, "effortless complexity" is a pretty good definition of beauty, since it accounts not only for this kind of innate kind of beauty we perceive in nature (because of natural selection) and an acquired sense of beauty (music preference etc.), but also for abstract beauty in ideas like mathematical beauty. It's actually quite a powerful concept.

[@stockstreamtwitch]

Wonderful Video!

[@thisaccountisdead9060]

I don't know whether I have this right? But I've gotten the impression that our amygdala is attuned to sequences and patterns. Whereas our extended amygdala (the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis - BNST) is more attuned to randomness and disorganisation. I've seen that the amygdala is about things in the foreground that we can see, whereas the BNST is about things in the background or over the otherside of the hill. So, why the amygdala is relevant to "fears" whereas the BNST is relevant to "anxieties". Maybe even why the amygdala may have more relevance to sexuality, whereas the BNST seems theorized to have more relevance to gender identity? I don't know? Seeing as urban areas tend to be pretty regular, then I am guessing they activate our amygdala more than our BNST? Or it could be that without outside stimulous (the randomness of nature) that the BNST just starts working dysfunctionally (and leading to stress?)? What about things that are absurd? - is nature absurd or is the urban environment ansurd? How do we respond to environments that are totally random (I'd imagine we'd loose it)? I mean would a random chinese torture be better than a predictable chinese torture?... I am guessing they'd both hurt as much. Always jam yesterday. Jam tomorrow. But never jam today. huff. sigh.

[@banmanb]

I believe it's simply this. We follow a set amount of rhythms. Our sleeping pattern, our eating pattern, breathing pattern, ect.. You can see this with how our brain works too, as ur brain reflects ur body and it's patterns though your sub conscience. nature brings us back to the Rhythm that life follows. Literally connecting us to Nature by recognizing and connecting into its rhythms. In a way yes the distracting nature of our current life in the City does distract us from natural patterns our bodies are supposed to follow to work the best if can.

[@darkwisteria9120]

It’s too bad I hate the outdoors. I have heat sensitivity and I hate bugs with a passion.

[@taritangeo4948]

Sydney Tonkin The trick is to live in north. The forest is cool all year around and there barely any mosquitoes, its like green heaven

[@lymezombie3236]

You sound like me! Got Lyme (etc), too? It was over 100°F, here today.

[@SlyPearTree]

Tari Tangeo How up North do you have to go to escape bugs without it being below 0°C most of the time?

[@AlabasterJazz]

Going to say that living up North does not get rid of bugs. Nor is it cool all year long. Summer months are still very warm especially for anyone with heat sensitivity. And the Great Caribou migration is due, in no small part, to a massive influx of mosquitoes and biting flies each Summer. As a Canadian I think that the bugs make up for it with a vengeance that they are otherwise inactive for the rest of the year. I think forests just tend to be more moderate in general than wide open prairies or wetlands. Of course a decent winter season does prevent the massive tropical bugs that you tend to get elsewhere, which is definitely worth it in my opinion.

[@mountainhobo]

In the US not North but West. Bugs don't like dry climate, and mosquitoes don't like ocean breeze. I think the last time I heard a mosquito was 3 or 4 years ago, and I live on the edge of town, lots of hills and forests nearby.

[@DanielSMatthews]

They need to test if all of the senses are required, or if it is just a visual thing. If it is visual it could come down to fractals, the geometry of nature is radically different from most of our modern world.

[@javi7636]

Great episode! And please include links to stuff like Nature League in the description, it makes a difference!

[@LightningSe7en]

I like to think nature calms us down. Nothing to worry about. Plain and simple just like nature yet complex at the same time.

[@merlinHPtwilight]

Oohh fancy Complexly logo at the end! Awesome!

[@XxuplmxX]

What a subtle way to market your new nature channel after explaining all the positive benefits of nature.

[@elenagibbons4719]

This is why I own so many plants. That, and I need a hobby and they’re cute.

[@Reckec]

I don't know why it works but it does !! I walk in the woods or even drive a winding road with the windows down and I feel refreshed and more relaxed. And "one with nature" is a good way to put it.

[@israelfigueroa7858]

I think is about watching and hearing a bunch of soft patterns on white noise. It's completely predictable and also filled on noise as a signal. It keeps the mind busy in the right way. I think is related to the amount of information poured on our senses, all the waves os the sea mixing up and exploding on a shore.

[@sinistershin8769]

I always meditate outside near the tree's, it was logical that it would have a positive affect.. 😊 I love this channel

[@garanceazb5331]

At twelve I became obsessed with forests. When I walk alone in a forest I do all these weird stuffs like run then stop then hug a tree, then talk to the trees or lay on the soil then run again then talk to myself or to the forest idk in a very poetic way.. Touch the earth. Does anyone do that too?

[@4TEiight48]

SciShow Psych Can you guys make a video on the link between smoking and schizophrenia 90℅ of schizophrenics smoking and they say it makes them feel better so scientists decided to do a study and the results were quite suprizing there is loads of resurch on the subject and it's not limited to schizophrenia they also found that nicotine improve memory in Alzheimer's patients

[@lordgarion514]

4t;EiGhT Probably has something to do with the fact that nicotine is literally the only chemical we know of that excites one part of the brain while simultaneously calming another part of the brain.

[@MondliNgwenya.]

Serious question that comes up when I watch Hank's videos: what's up with his abdomen? Anyone notice?

[@AlexaAXAG]

What a coincidence, I just came from the park after months of not going out (don't judge ;-;) And yeah I do feel better... And my vision is less blurry too 🤔

[@RakelGBrandt]

Hahahah wow! I actually have been specialising a bit in environmental psychology! I have both participated in some of the similar studies, and then also did a thesis exploring the psychological restoration theory. At one point I encountered a philosophy prof that had a theory that the reason why it works is the natural shapes are often in it's core fractal, and our brains evolved at predicting these shapes - so it takes less space in our minds to predict, compared to ones in urban environments... well I'm still not convinced, but there is clearly something there! I think the positive benefits are very complex in the biophilic love that we have. As humans are removed from nature, they lose their sense of belonging. But if we look at it historically, the relationships with humans (in the western world) and nature has changed a lot, where people tend to romanticise nature. I am from Iceland and here we very recently have a great respect, but also awe of nature. People used to be very afraid of nature, where it was part of unexplored dangerous world, whilst now most people are only exposed to nature in relatively safe settings (except in some places, Iceland is for example filled with death traps). And of course finally, the idea of nature can vary, as with "human buildings" we have parking lots, which are dreadful, but we also have some beautiful city-skapes. The same happens with nature, you have people that think of nature as land with a lot of greeneries and those that don't. For me it's mostly desert, lava, ocean and mountains, the vikings made sure our nature is different. While I was in an advanced environmental psychology class I realised that people's relationship on nature vary a LOT depending on their background, geographically and most likely economically too - farmers and hunters have at least been found to have a different view of nature then some other people. How that translates into the well-being connected to nature... well as you said - these benefits haven't been explored extensively, the only thing we know is that it's beneficial, even just bringing "nature" into man made places has positive effects on health.

[@owlbme]

💙 *quality content* 💙

[@Gabriel-bk3lm]

you seem to cover every question one can have about our world, and thank you for that! the only question i have and cannot really google (i tried researching, but no results) is WHY it became so trendy to YOLO, live a moment, becoming one with the universe, etc. I mean, it's a very fine concept but it became so mainstream these days! where are the roots of it? what's the story?

[@YuBeace]

I’m chronically ill and while going camping in a caravan doesn’t cure me it does reduce some of my symptoms, especially my usually sensitive stomach seems to calm down.

[@angi7717]

My happy time is when I take long walks through the the park around the lake. It's really the only thing that helps my panic attacks so far.

[@kimbratton9620]

Nature is great!!!

[@nutzeeer]

so thats why, in the beginning of portal 2, you get to look at a beautiful art scenery

[@f.u.c8308]

I'm glad they could admit the reason is elusive. I'm surprised that you didn't suggest the aesthetic pleasure and the relaxing patterns as reasons, as well as sunlight. You may not understamd how beauty can have this power but without it we might as well die.

[@felicityduijkersloot6043]

Facts.. I have adhd and nature is my natural adderall.. No racing thoughts and a quiet mind 🧘🏼‍♀️

[@Zsokorad]

I have never gone outside and thought "I feel better". I do like to watch nature documentaries though.

[@Hollytargaryen]

I’m outside ‘in nature’ everyday 😊 I prefer wildlife to people, cause people are less than adequate

[@alex.koplos]

I would like to see research about beautiful environments as well. Not just comparing bland to nature but beautiful to nature as well. Maybe a good reason to beautify urban environments and fund public art

[@mudpie6927]

even looking at and listening to pictures sounds of nature is supposed to be soothing

[@BodyImageFitnessLLC]

Ironically you posted this the day I left to go camping ⛺️ for a week

[@3800S1]

I suspect the exposure to green light or sight of green stuff might have something to do with it. I always feel way better looking at vivid greens over non green natural environments. It could even be an evolutionary drive towards areas of green as those inherently have more active life generally speaking and have a greater chance of food and shelter.

[@Tony-nj9de]

I find autumn to be a best time to be outside I go outside in every season but I'm a autumn/fall person

[@zakosist]

I think we have an inherent need to be in nature the same way most wild animals have a need to live and act like they would in the wild. Its what our minds are settled to because we have lived like that for almost the entire human history. Being separated for too long is bad for our mental health

[@sparklypee263]

Thank you so much this assignement felt like hell until I found this

[@ajgroth585]

There's literally nothing worse than being in the far depths of a depressive episode and having someone tell me JUST GO OUTSIDE! :D Yes it feels nice momentarily... but it doesn't suddenly "cure" the depressive episode..

[@Sgt-Gravy]

curious if the amount of sunlight to shade has anything to do with how we judge a certain area? Humidity could also be a factor in how we judge an area of nature..?

[@theclageraghty1]

Do indoor pot plants help?

[@Lucky10279]

How about because it's BEAUTIFUL and beauty makes us happy.

[@torinsgarden1437]

Its not about feeling connected its about the vibes you're connecting with

[@taylorharbin3948]

I cannot speak as a scientist, but I do remember taking an architecture class in graduate school for my history degree. The phrase “built environment“ has always stood out to me. A lot of modern societies have literally walled themselves in and treat nature like a place where mankind does not belong, But if you happen to be a Christian like myself, that’s not what you believe. You believe that we were made for this world only reason that we would suffer if we tried to live apart from it.

[@ELBARTOmovies]

1. Eat some amount M of some mysterious Mushrooms 2. Go into a Forest. 3. (Enjoy the connection of nature)^M

[@ABitOfTheUniverse]

Higher oxygen content. If large cities are to be more productive, they should have buildings or machines, call them, photosynthetrons, that reproduce the chemicals given off by plants by taking in chemicals given off by people and synthesizing them into more desirable ones for animals such as ourselves. Not just CO2 into O2, but using the carbon from other emissions to produce aromatic hydrocarbons more beneficial to people's well being. Either a building on every so many blocks could serve this function, or, if such technology can be shrunk to the size of an automobile or smaller, have one at every intersection starting with the busiest ones in the highest trafficked areas. And I'm not just talking about "a tree". Through chemical engineering and the miniaturization of electronics, we may be able to reproduce the effect of an entire city block's worth a dense forest, into a machine the size of a shoe box and place them on lampposts to provide the same effect to a stretch of road between two intersections. Until then, it may just be better to turn the occasional Starbucks, jewelry store or lawyer's office you might find downtown, into a place to house these, photosynthetrons, that take in CO2, automobile emissions and other less desirable airborne chemicals, and synthesize more desirable ones with water via new types of solar panels and/or a steady electrical input from the power grid. We already purify the water, why aren't we actively purifying the air? As we replace natural landscapes with man made ones; placing tar and asphalt over millions of miles of roads and parking lots around the globe, and covering millions of acres of microbe rich soil with steel, concrete and glass structures, eve if you just consider the number of roofs of all the suburban homes around the world where sunlight is falling that would have otherwise fallen onto vegetation and microorganisms in topsoil, we must also replace the chemical function that that sunlight would have contributed to life. Not just for the sake of human beings, but for all life on Earth.

[@celinak5062]

ABitOfTheUniverse wasn't there a list of plants that were better at cleaning the air and Singapore must be happy

[@TomK2602]

The real issue of air quality in cities is not about O2 or CO2 levels (the differences between a city and its surroundings are negligible). The real harm comes from the microscopic solid particles in emissions, which cause all kinds of lung complications including astma and lung cancer. One of the easiest and cheapest scientifically proven ways to clean these out of the air, though, is by planting trees and other greenery. The trees act as a sort of filter which catches all the particulates in their leaves until the rain washes it all away.

[@TomK2602]

MasterCrander Fair point. As usual with engineering there is never a universal perfect solution.

[@elenagibbons4719]

The reason we haven’t done it yet is because 1. It is very expensive and 2. We haven’t developed the technology to make the “fake forest” the size of a shoe box. I would miss real trees though.

[@atriyakoller136]

As someone who was born in a relatively small city with a low oxygen content in the air (there were 2 probes I know of, about 30 years apart from each other and both showed 17% of oxygen instead of the normal content), I agree that we would really benefit from such machines. However, economically speaking, we'd have to pay for the air. And there are many people who couldn't afford that. So, beneficial as it might be, it could create a real-life dystopia.

[@elafimilo8199]

Hank sounds really scornful.

[@toyotaprius79]

Ohh oh! Do a video on the recent news of how air pollution in urban areas (Mexico City I think) and metal microscopics from engine wear can affect our health and contribute to Alzheimer's.

[@TheNightmareRider]

Makes me wonder how much naturists differ in similar studies. Does being nude in an outdoor social environment yield similar results? I'd expect it to, though research would need to specify if the lack of clothing adds any significant advantage on mood/mental wellbeing boosts.

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

I don't think nude is a good survival strategy because why did cave people invented clothes

[@TheNightmareRider]

That has nothing to do with what I'm talking about.

[@CarbonatedBorger]

ONWARD TO YOUR LOCAL STATE PARK!!

[@adricortesia]

Do those studies also get published in (the) Nature? ;)

[@andrasbiro3007]

I think it's very simple. We need shelter, food, water and safety. Except for the last few hundred years that meant exactly those places we find beautiful and relaxing. If our millions of years old wiring in our brain doesn't get the right impulses, we get stressed. For example bird song means no predators around so we can relax. If we don't hear birds we get a little anxious.

[@wolfferoni]

I feel like it might've been better to take one group into nature an one group into a big room that's been painted and has props to look like they're in nature. A car park is really boring and usually grey, plus bad smells like petrol, and loud noises beeping etc. so I think anyone would've predicted that the group in nature would feel better. It would also be interesting to see how much our senses play into it. It's very visual and auditory. Compare a group that's in nature but has ear plugs in vs a group that's in the simulated room who are blindfolded. A lot of people listen to ambient noise, the sound of the beach, the rain forest etc. just in bed and they feel better because they can just close their eyes and imagine. It's easier to imagine images than sound. Very interesting.

[@poetanderson2495]

Could the fresh oxygen also play a part?

[@drizzlingrose]

what about a virtual forest? i mean, i feel more clam when i walk though that in a game, with the ambiance turned way up :)

[@EctoMorpheus]

Sarah Vittrup of all the times I felt clam, none of them were in a game...

[@drizzlingrose]

oh really? if you want to try it, world of warcraft has some great art for that :) ive heard Witcher 3 is also nice for this

[@nebulan]

My work banned walking at lunch for a few months. When winter came i argued to be allowed again because i had seasonal depression. While i really feel like i have that you're making it sound like the light isnt as much a thing? But the walk itself is what i needed?

[@itisdevonly]

nebulan Seasonal depression is a different thing, and in that case light does matter. But you probably also benefit from nature, aside from the light.

[@trw45q]

my thesis is quite simple: being in nature and "connectedness" is not any hippy platonic stuff, it's objectively superior and healthier for the animal-man. In nature your senses get activated more in tune of how they were purposed to be, for example, instead of staring at walls, there's a horizon, a wide view with depth, instead of sounds of plastic and square things clunking, your hearing can be more like a radar noticing things happening near and close, there's a constant flux of different smells from everything instead of a dead nothing or "a lil soap whiff", same with touch, muscles, taste, everything, not to mention a quiet mind and freedom from clocks. It's clear: modern life is an inhospitable environment. BTW, I'm an anarchist(the leftist kind obviously).

[@danialrizvi5285]

How do you silently talk 3:00

[@vZaaaaa]

I think it's calculating things that aren't as obvious to the brain, and there's always new good randomness waiting around the corner. It keeps our brains balanced from the need to calculate certainty and also the need to keep our brains filled with new random information. And that is good for the brain.

[@austaneousc5802]

The answer might be as simple as people not coping in artificial urban environments compared to more natural setting. Maybe nature offers equalibrium to the symptoms of domestication?

[@moonythespoonie9551]

There's also the ions in rain

[@ManintheArmor]

1. Because nature is a representation of freedom. Freedom from control and homogeneity. 2. Our various structures are overengineered to serve themselves, rather than the people that build them or use them. They may contain a variety of chemicals that are just overall terrible for us. 3. Nature may possess microbes necessary for our health. By physically distancing ourselves from nature, we lose these microbes. 4. We gain a better sense of perspective and purpose when we're not solely hanging around other humans. We understand ourselves better when surrounded by other organisms. 5. Evolutionarily familiar environment. 6. You can be away from other humans without actually being alone.

[@aaron6087]

We're made to live in nature. Civilization has only been around for a few thousand years and the changes are so dramatic that its equivalent to taking a fish out of water.

[@chaii_latte]

We are nature. Simple as that.

[@franticranter]

It doesn't when you have hayfever

[@nerysghemor5781]

oldgranny athlete Of course, the hygiene hypothesis suggests that the reason people GET hay fever is from not getting outside and getting exposed to enough dirt, germs, and pollens for your body to know how to handle them without pitching an immunological hissy fit.

[@BlackBirdSweep]

It also doesn't help if you're on fire.

[@Ikajo]

Nerys Ghemor For some maybe. I grew up with dogs and had a rabbit as well. After my rabbit died I developed an allergy to grass, and hay. In my case, the small exposure to hay acted as a protection, when I wasn't exposed to it everyday I became allergic. Since I have sensitivity from the get go.

[@oneofmanyjames-es1643]

Unfortunately so. Usually I like to do a lot of hiking, but hayfever in the UK this year has been insane so I can't.

[@franticranter]

Optimus Princeps Bob Boblington yeah, i had to take a day of work the other day as it really mucked me up. I could hardly go 2 minutes without blowing me nose. This years hay fever is the worst one i've ever had

[@mariooiram7546]

Because we belong there

[@MrWombatty]

On a related subject; 'Why Does Nature Abhor A Vacuum', when Nature is so often promoted as being so good for everything?

[@InciniumVGC]

I have a hypothesis. Placebo effect. People think being outside in nature makes them feel better, so it does.

[@krrowthemyuii]

I'm out in a forest, but it's not a very pretty one. Also, it's too hot and humid and filled with ticks and other blood-sucking creatures and I'm highly allergic to every grass and weed species out here, as well as some of the trees. The storms here are terrible and almost always knock out the electricity and I get major anxiety when I see lightning and hear thunder. Every time I hear a rumble of thunder, I have to stop everything I'm doing on the computer and unplug everything (because one time, a lighting storm destroyed half the electronics in the house). There are also tornadoes, which are terrifying. And floods. Maybe if I lived somewhere else, I'd enjoy being out in nature, but not here. In fact, I've been far more depressed since I moved here than when I lived in a city.

[@georgeindestructible]

You like the places your ancestors used to live(and probably feel like they are there with you), which makes you feel like being home which makes you feel good. Simple.

[@AlabasterJazz]

If the hypothesis is that we have to belong to groups to feel mentally healthy I would think being in an urban environment achieves this much more robustly. Cities after all are designed for Humans and tend to have several Humans in close proximity at all times. I would think it's actually a sense of being disconnected from people and modern ideals that makes a trip to nature so appealing and refreshing. Rather than feeling like a minuscule cog endlessly working in the great Human machine, a trip to nature hearkens back to a simpler time before industry and technology made us feel we were "wasting" our time unless we are always busy and productive. Nature trips seem to be a great relaxation therapy; that is at least until you start to get cold, or hungry, or filthy, and realize that modern environments have actually improved our quality of life a great deal from our primitive beginnings.

[@LordofBroccoli]

Too bad I have pollen allergies... :/

[@alexlawson4173]

So stop?

[@akzebraminer]

Alex Lawson Uhh what?

[@alexlawson4173]

you know? Just don't have allergies...

[@lodgin]

Firstly, I wonder what the difference is between someone who has always lived in and or around nature, and someone who has always lived in urban areas. Car parks and other concrete areas can be wondrous to some extent, it all depends on your perspective and what you choose to recognise. Is the effect perhaps due to it being novel? One might grow bored of natural landscapes that others consider wondrous simple because they see it everyday. Secondly, could this effect have something to do with our expectations of nature? We feel one with the universe because we expect to. Because in the end, the _nature_ that these people seem to be exposed to is very manufactured. It's not the kind of wilderness with logs that make you stumble, things flying in your face, loud insect noises, mud, and smells from nearby rivers. I think it would be interesting to see just how different the results would be if you took someone into a forest instead of to a garden or public park.

[@celinak5062]

Singapore must be the happiest place on earth then

[@yaroslavsky]

Going outside would make me feel better to... if it weren't 95°F ALL THE TIME.

[@_hector__]

Gimli, Son of Glóin Shade is all you need. You'll get used to it, if I can get used to it at 105 then you can

[@miketacos9034]

I wonder... do/did humans treat the interiors of caves the same way we treat urban environments or staying indoors all day? Do they have the same effects on us psychologically?

[@unknowntexan4570]

I think it about beauty and wonder, not connectedness.

[@Nobody-vr5nl]

I've lived in oregon sense I was 5 and never want to leave all because of the trees

[@42maneatingplants14]

Did the subjects come from the city.

[@untitled8027]

no wonder I have felt so bad lately.

[@dragongamerboi13]

Because that is where we originally came from and truly belong. We used to make everything out of things we found in nature. We used to hunt together, forage together, build shelters together, treat each other with medicinal plants and fungi. I think there really is an innate urge to go back to that in most of us, since the modern world is so very far from natural and oh so stressful, demanding, and colorless.

[@TinchoX]

I like parks.

[@sheetalmaluja0818]

There is significant increase in people’s health, happiness, connection to nature and active nature behaviours, such as feeding the birds and planting flowers, etc. Small efforts for our health can bring a big change; planet ayurveda’s herbal supplements can be one of this small step towards healthy life.

[@lorenamz4949]

Walking in nature is cheaper than exercising in the gym too!

[@EctoMorpheus]

Lorena MZ walking and exercising are quite different things.

[@Floydarn]

Bacon is good for me!

[@user-is3yn7xr4c]

YOUR ANIMAL BRAIN LOVES NATURE