Connecting with nature can be beneficial to mental health and wellbeing.
There is something about being among nature’s greenspaces that just feels good. Even if a person can’t quite describe what it is that’s intriguing about being surrounded by lush, thriving plants, it’s a hard feeling to shake. According to a new study performed in Taiwan, that connection might go deeper than just a nice feeling on a spring day. Could greenery actually be directly tied to mental health? It’s an interesting possibility that has the potential to change how people look at treating such issues and what can be done to lessen the toll that the mental health crisis is currently taking on both the country and the world.
The study that was performed in Taiwan returned results that wouldn’t have necessarily been expected by many people. First, the researchers charted the location of people who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD). BD is a mental health condition that is marked by mood instability, including periods of mania or hypomania (depending on the type) followed by depressive episodes. With that information, a map was created that highlighted the location of greenery around the country.
When those two maps were compared, the results were stark, and they highlighted a possible connection between bipolar disorder and greenery. People who lived in areas without greenery, or without much greenery, were more likely to have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder than those living in greener areas. That correlation does not prove a causal connection, of course, but it does provide a point of interest that will certainly be studied further.
Whether or not it will be proven that there is a link between BD and nature’s greenspaces is yet to be seen, but there is little doubt that nature has a powerful impact on human health. When people spend time outside regularly, they report improved mood, lower levels of stress, greater relaxation, better physical health, and many more benefits. Science probably doesn’t yet understand exactly how important the natural world is to the health of humans as a whole.
Of course, it’s one thing to say that people should spend more time out in nature, but it’s another thing for people to have access to that nature. Those who live in big cities without much greenery to speak of may have a limited ability to access it, even if they want to be immersed in nature. So, governments and other organizations should consider this importance and find ways to make the natural world more accessible to all.
It seems unlikely that nature’s greenspaces alone are the solution to the mental health crisis, but it’s certainly possible that it can play a notable role in making strides forward. Sometimes in life, it’s helpful not to overthink things and rely on complicated solutions. Thus, surrounding people with more and more greenery should have a positive impact on mental health, even if it is a strategy that needs to be augmented with other approaches to eventually get everyone to a better place mentally and physically.
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