Spending time in amongst nature is well known for its stress-reducing qualities, but that didn’t stop new research from Cornell University attempting to quantify the impact. The study found that as little as 10 minutes is enough to leave us feeling happier and more relaxed.
“It doesn’t take much time for the positive benefits to kick in — we’re talking 10 minutes outside in a space with nature,” the researchers say. “We firmly believe that every student, no matter what subject or how high their workload, has that much discretionary time each day, or at least a few times per week.”
The researchers reviewed numerous studies that had previously examined the impact nature had on people of college age. The aim was to explore how much time in nature is required to benefit students lives. The sweetspot appeared to be between 10-50 minutes, with no real benefits emerging after the 50 minute point. These benefits include better mood, and lower blood pressure.
Natural time
There doesn’t appear to be any prescribed activities during this time outside, with the benefits the same regardless of whether people were sitting, walking or doing anything else.
“We wanted to keep this access to nature as simple and achievable as possible,” the researchers explain. “While there is a lot of literature on longer outdoor programs, we wanted to quantify doses in minutes, not days.”
The authors believe that their findings underline the importance of placing adequate green spaces in even the most urban of environments. This is especially so, as a second study from the University of Illinois highlights how nature can help us to learn.
The study found that when school children spent a class session outdoors in a natural setting, they were more engaged, not only during the class but also afterwards. What’s more, the effect persisted week after week.
The researchers provided replica lessons in indoor and outdoor settings, with teacher expectations, style, time of day and various other factors that could influence proceedings all controlled for.
“Teachers hoping to offer lessons in nature may hesitate for fear that the experience will leave kids bouncing off the walls and unable to concentrate afterward,” the researchers say. “We found just the opposite, however: Classroom engagement was significantly better for students after lessons in nature than after lessons in the classroom.”
To an extent, this is not new, as a previous study found that test scores were higher in classrooms where vegetation was nearby. Indeed, it’s even been found that children with ADHD do much better after a walk in a natural setting.
One theory is that being in nature allows the mind to rest, which in turn allows it to focus more effectively later when in class. It’s also been proven that being in nature, or even viewing it from the window, is linked with lower heart rates and stress hormones.
“We found the teachers in our study were able to teach uninterrupted for almost twice as long after the outdoor lesson than after an indoor lesson,” the researchers say. “The students simply paid better attention after being in the outdoor class.”
