The Unexpected Rewards of 'Nearby Nature'

I live in one of the liveliest neighborhoods of a large city. I've lived in this city for almost all of my adult life, and I love all the urban sights and noises, right down to the sirens. But I also know the many patches of nature hidden away in my city. On those occasions when I need solitude and quiet and respite from the hectic metropolitan pace, I am minutes from streams and woodland.

My rural friends don't think of these urban enclaves as real nature, but I disagree. I feel restored when I get out among the oaks, sassafras and yarrow, and when I hear the warblers singing. And new research backs me up on this. It comes from the Happiness Lab at Carleton University, which is located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital and a city about the size of mine. Psychological scientists Elizabeth Nisbet and John Zelenski suspected that most people, including city dwellers, don't believe in the emotional benefits of nearby nature -- and therefore simply don't bother. They wanted to disprove this notion by showing that even short nature walks can increase one's sense of well-being.

But they wanted to go further. They wanted to demonstrate that this increased sense of well-being also boosts our sense of connectedness with nature, which in turn could bolster a sense of stewardship for the natural world. To test this experimentally, they recruited a group of volunteers, ranging in age from 16 to 48 years old, and asked them to take a walk -- a leisurely, 17-minute autumn stroll on or near the Carleton campus. Some walked outdoors, along the Rideau Canal, a green corridor that runs through the heart of Ottawa. Others walked across campus, but through a series of tunnels that were built for students changing classes in nasty weather.

The volunteers thought they were part of a personality study, and they answered a number of questions before and after their walks -- questions about how relaxed they were, how curious, how interested and fascinated they were with life. The scientists also measured their feelings of connectedness with the natural world. Finally, some of the volunteers predicted how the walk would make them feel.

The results were unambiguous. Those who walked along the urban greenway reported feeling more positive, more relaxed and more fascinated with life -- and they reported fewer negative emotions than did the tunnel walkers. What's more, those who had forecast their feelings before walking outdoors consistently underestimated all of their positive emotions, while those who strolled in the tunnels overestimated how good they would feel after walking. The outdoor walkers' boost in positive feelings also led to a greater sense of connectedness with nature.

The scientists ran a slightly different version of this experiment and got the same results, reported online in the journal Psychological Science. Again, walking outdoors elevated the walkers' moods more than walking indoors. And again, they did not fully appreciate in advance how good this nature stroll would make them feel. Although people are innately drawn to nature, there seems to be a psychological disconnect that prevents them from fully anticipating the benefits. As a result of this disconnect, people forego opportunities for nature walks -- missing out on the mood uplift and the sense of natural connection. Although the system of tunnels under Carleton's campus was built for inclement weather, students and faculty frequently use them even on temperate days, isolating them from the greener pathways through campus.

The link between feelings of connectedness and green action remains speculative, but plausible. Other research has shown that people who feel closer to the natural world not only spend more time outdoors, but they also engage in more environmentally-sustainable behavior. All these findings taken together could have policy implications: Instead of trying to motivate people's green actions with fear, guilt or economic incentives, policymakers might encourage more contact with nature. In cities, that might mean designs that make contact with urban nature unavoidable.

One clear message here is that the grandeur of national parks is not needed for these positive effects. And while a quick stroll on an urban greenway is clearly not going to save the world, it could be an important step in the right direction, toward what the scientists call a "happy path to sustainability."

 

 

 

Comments

[sunflower12]

09:15 PM on 08/23/2011

NYC has beautiful green enclaves, some small, some big as Central Park. It's possible to feel connected to nature even in a big city. Nature warms the heart, we just have to take the time to see it.

[Inannawhimsey]

02:32 PM on 08/20/2011

I wonder if these mood uplifts have been correlated with people's beliefs? Does someone who believes that this thicket right here is prime nature have a different effect than someone who believes that this thicket right here is just an industrial park? And I wonder if anyone has done studies to see if people get mood elevations from walking through, say, industrial parks? The human animal (which is a bit of Nature) is amazing :3

[HappierWithLess]

08:51 AM on 08/18/2011

Great article. I was just interviewed by CNN.com about my move to Costa Rica. Towards the end of the article you will read that nature was a driving force for my move here. I used to work ten hour days in an office, and rarely was outside. Now that I get to spend so much time outdoors, my disposition has entirely changed. I believe if more people just took a walk, went to a park, hiked for an hour, they would get rid of that harmful stress that is making them sick and unhappy. I am living proof...I could never go back to how I lived before.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/08/11/costa.rica.escape/index.html?iref=allsearch

[sunflower12]

09:17 PM on 08/23/2011

Just curious, how do we feel about the people you've left behind? does nature make up for that?
Costa Rica must be beautiful, but it's also a foreign country. I always wonder about making this type of move, and having to leave everyone behind, how does it feel?

[HappierWithLess]

08:39 AM on 08/25/2011

I think it's a big change that takes some time to adapt to. I still see my family, I go back to the states about 2 times a year and of course they come to visit. You would be surprised how popular you become when you live in Costa Rica.

But like everything in life, all the best things that have happened to me occurred after I took a risk. And thankfully, this one worked out.

[H P]

11:23 AM on 08/17/2011

well "One clear message here is that the grandeur of national parks is not needed for these positive effects."
that may be true to some extent, just try walking in Yosemite and then try and get the effect of that experience in a urban park.
just saying, I took that remark as diss of national parks, maybe I misinterpreted that..

[Wray Herbert]

12:55 PM on 08/17/2011

Not a diss. I feel fortunate to have visited many national parks--and to have had my spirits uplifted by mountain vistas, oceans and more. I think the scientists' point--backed up by my own experience--is that we can get at least some of this uplifting and connectedness right in our own backyards. It may be harder for us city folks, but we're not bereft.

[MaureenCalamia]

01:37 PM on 08/17/2011

I think that what the author was saying was that we have, within our daily lives, the opportunity to get the boost we need. We don't NEED to be in a national park (perhaps once a year, or less, for most people), to create or restore that connection. It's within all of our grasps.

Thanks Wray for pointing me to this new research. We know it intuitively, but the science to back it up is wonderful!