Health Benefits of Strolling in Green Landscapes

"As little as five minutes of green exercise can be beneficial."

"You may experience greater mental health benefits if you are able to be active outside in a natural environment."

"But, since physical activity is extremely important for our physical and mental health no matter what you do or where you do it, just keep being active."

Claire Wicks, senior research assistant, University of Essex, Britain

Stroll in Bilberry Creek Ravine Forest, Ottawa

A short, leafy stroll improves working memory and concentration notably more than does taking an indoor walk, findings of a new, small study of the neurological effects of "green exercise"; physical activity conducted within a natural landscape. Katherine Boere, a neuroscience doctoral candidate who led the neurological study of green exercise, checked research showing that walking in an interior or out in nature generally increased blood flow, clearing people's minds.

She decided to undertake her own study which began when she and her colleagues gathered 30 college students, tested their working memory and capacity to focus and then choosing alternate days, had them walk for roughly 15 minutes both inside a building or alternately on leaf-canopied paths -- and then repeated the cognitive tests. The outside walk readily surpassed the health effects of the indoor walks. Resulting in better concentration, with students responding with greater alacrity achieving results according with scientific theories on how nature affects the human mind.

One widely held theory holds that the natural world encourages people to relax, diminishing the force of internal ruminations on pressing concerns, allowing our busy brains to experience quiet periods. Nature's effect is what scientists name "soft fascination", explained Ms.Boere, holding our attention and not demanding constant intellectual processing. The overtaxed focus can relax, reset and moving past the event -- people are able to concentrate and reason more readily.

There is, of course, the anticipated physiological effects that walking has on thinking; the augmented flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. That study Ms.Boere was involved with, was titled by herself and her co-authors: Exercising is good for the brain but exercising outside is potentially better.

Other research shows that the effects can extend beyond brief improvements in concentration, to an increase in motivation -- and in the process exercise feels less burdensome. A study published a year ago out of China saw young, inactive people with obesity begin walking in a park or gym on alternate days, reporting feeling considerably less stressed, enjoying exercise more than when they walked for exercise in interiors.

In a previous study of older men and women who wore activity trackers for a week, those who walked outside voluntarily exercised roughly 30 minutes more during the week than those who walked inside. Exercise that is strenuous can feel far easier to perform and more enjoyable within green surroundings -- a landscape can make an important difference.

Researchers found that exercising in urbanized outdoor settings -- commercial districts, downtown areas, and other cityscapes with few trees and other natural elements -- tended to be less beneficial for people's mental health than similar exercise undertaken in greener, natural environments such as community parks and urban forests. Even the unforgiving pavements can cause physical stress to feet, quite unlike walking in a green space or on a forest floor.

In a review of past research published in 2022, people reported feeling tranquil following a walk or gentle jogging for about 15 minutes through parks or similar landscapes, but less so when the exercise lasted for 40 minutes or longer, or was felt to be physically exhausting. A six-kilometre run in a park helped to calm women in one study cited by the review; doubling that distance to about 14 km turned out to be less satisfying.

Hike on Lovequist Trail, Rocky Gorge, New Hampshire

 

It's Not The Place, It's You : Extrovert/Introvert, Pessimist, Optomist

symmetry_mind / Flickr CC / HTTP://J.MP/1SPGCL0

"If we look at how much people say they're satisfied with their neighbourhoods, we can estimate that about 16 percent of that is due to the neighbourhood. And the rest, 84 percent, is due to the individual person. It could be as simple as, for instance, whether a person is generally optimistic and agreeable and is satisfied with everything. It could be things like if the person is extroverted -- they get out in their neighbourhood, they meet their neighbours, they have strong ties. It could be the reverse, if they tend to be pessimistic and they tend to be dissatisfied.. It could have to do with how long they've been in the neighbourhood, perhaps changes they've seen in the neighbourhood, specific personal experiences they've had there."                           "I could imagine, on one hand, spending more time in our neighbourhoods might lead us to come to appreciate them a little more, see things that we like about them that we didn't realize were there. But we could also see a reverse effect, a sort-of 'familiarity breeds contempt'. We're stuck in our neighbourhoods. Surely the grass is greener elsewhere."                                                                                           "We might sometimes imagine a group of dissatisfied residents getting together and, say, cleaning up the park. And if that improves their perception of the park, then it might have an impact on satisfaction. It would have more to do with their personal experience than with the neighbourhood itself [according to his research]."                                                                                                                         Zachary Neal, associate professor of psychology and global urban studies, Michigan State University

"[If two neighbourhoods have similar amenities and you see differences in satisfaction] those differences are going to be explained through the perception of the quality. A complete community, or neighbourhood, supports both recreation and utilitarian needs within a walkable distance, in my definition. It meets your needs. You don't have to travel across the region or elsewhere -- to get on a train or bus, or take a long drive -- to get food."                                                                        "Our awareness of what our neighbourhood has or doesn't have becomes a lot more acute when we're stuck in it [as, for example during coronavirus lockdown]."  Lawrence Frank, professor of sustainable transport, director, Health and Community Design Lab, University of British Columbia

"[Perhaps the greenery] can buffer other things that might be causing you stress: things like heat, noise and air pollution. [His study suggests  that should city planmers] change the underlying aspects of the neighbourhood, your sense of self and your happiness could change, too."                                                                    "It could be that they get tired of seeing the same dilapidated structure that no one's cleaned up. It could be that they see new things in the environment that bring them whimsy and wonder. Particularly in COVID times, I wouldn't underestimate the influence of social interactions that can happen in outdoor spaces."               "By being engaged and active in the community, you're going to feel better. You're also making the neighbourhood space better. That's going to make other people feel better."                                                                                                                      Aaron Reuben, clinical psychology doctoral candidate, Duke University

Trinity-Bellwoods Park, Toronto

In other words, if a neighbourhood is just a place where you live and commute from and back to, with no personal or emotional attachment aside from fundamental function, and you haven't got the time or the inclination  to make a place for yourself in that neighbourhood, make an effort, however slight, to meet other neighbours. you have failed to make that elemental investment in making it your home by becoming part of an existing community. Your home is a convenience, simply that nothing more.

Now, during the time of the global pandemic it is a place to park yourself, nothing special about the place, it's just where you happen to have settled, with no sense of curiosity, no willingness to explore its character, to appreciate whatever it has to offer, much less to meet other people who also chose the place you all now share. With the added complication of lockdown, physical isolation and trepidation, there is less willingness to get out and explore; options don't go beyond remaining in place, while meeting neighbours would be the last thing on your mind. Emotional alienation.

An unease sets in. Nothing special about this place. In fact, nothing to value about it. It's just there. If  you were to speak with some of your fellow residents it would surprise you that most of them have a personal attachment to the neighbourhood. And that would be because they took the time and chose to learn more about it; what has ended up making it special to them, a place where they feel comfortable and attuned to, where they can walk out their front door, see another neighbour and exchange pleasantries.

Recently, a meta-analysis of 27 studies examining neighbourhood satisfaction concluded that for the most part attitude about neighbourhood of a negative or positive variety is for the most part the reflection of the people and not the place. The quality of the schools, municipal services, neighbourly home pride, pleasant streets are all involved in residents' attitudes toward their neighbourhoods. Dr.Neal derived his understanding of how people react to where they live through reviewing studies published between 1981 and 2018 involving over 250,000 adults in 11 countries, including the United States.

He concluded that peoples' personalities and perceptions appeared to be influenced by how much of a personal investment they have in their neighbourhood. Someone's satisfaction or lack of it would be guided by their personality. Owning or renting represents another factor, where a 2014 study of close to 1,900 adults in a Los Angeles survey along with results from the 2000 U.S.Census, discovered that home ownership results in residents being more sensitive to local features.

Homeowners in advantaged communities turned out more satisfied than did renters and those living in disadvantaged communities. Should a resident consider the school their child attends is a good one, whether or not it really is, they turn out to be more satisfied people. Dr. Frank's work over decades highlighted the way services acquired within the neighbourhood makes it a more desirable place in which to live. Green spaces like parks create a sense of community, while other research has indicated greenery improves physical health.

A 2018 paper looking at more than 140 studies discovered exposure to green spaces to be associated with reduced risk of preterm birth, Type II diabetes, stroke, asthma and coronary heart disease, along with other benefits to health. Exposure to nature affects mental health as well. Blue spaces, close to oceans, lakes, rivers or even the municipal placement of ornamental fountains also had beneficial health effects, according to a study out of Spain, which also showed that well-being and improved mood among the 59 participants was elevated by a short walk along a beach rather than walking on a city street.

A study out of Philadelphia involved converting vacant lots into green spaces where researchers surveyed 342 city residents from 2011 to 2014, resulting in the findint that residents living nearby the green spaces felt less depressed than before the improvements while those who lived near still-vacant lots saw no change in mood. "This happened even when residents were unaware of the actual change", noted Aaron Reuben. 

 

And now there is the added complication to people's quality of life brought on by the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.A time when access to green parks has become more important than ever, in giving people relief from their home confinement and the opportunity of coming across neighbours with whom brief, socially distanced conversations can take place, offering a further sense of belonging and appreciation to both parties involved.

 

Flickr/Donna Rutherford