The relationship between nature relatedness and anxiety

Martyn, Patricia; Brymer, Eric

doi:10.1177/1359105314555169

Cited by 225 publications

(147 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Interestingly, people who spent relatively more time out of doors had higher nature relatedness, suggesting that the recent doses of nature may contribute towards shaping nature orientation. Maintaining nature around the home may therefore be critical for both health and biological conservation, because nature orientation has been associated with improved life happiness [46,47], reduced anxiety [45] and environmental behaviour [67]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Doses of Nearby Nature Simultaneously Associated with Multiple Health Benefits

Cox

Shanahan

Hudson

et al. 2017

IJERPH

222

147

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Exposure to nature provides a wide range of health benefits. A significant proportion of these are delivered close to home, because this offers an immediate and easily accessible opportunity for people to experience nature. However, there is limited information to guide recommendations on its management and appropriate use. We apply a nature dose-response framework to quantify the simultaneous association between exposure to nearby nature and multiple health benefits. We surveyed ca. 1000 respondents in Southern England, UK, to determine relationships between (a) nature dose type, that is the frequency and duration (time spent in private green space) and intensity (quantity of neighbourhood vegetation cover) of nature exposure and (b) health outcomes, including mental, physical and social health, physical behaviour and nature orientation. We then modelled dose-response relationships between dose type and self-reported depression. We demonstrate positive relationships between nature dose and mental and social health, increased physical activity and nature orientation. Dose-response analysis showed that lower levels of depression were associated with minimum thresholds of weekly nature dose. Nearby nature is associated with quantifiable health benefits, with potential for lowering the human and financial costs of ill health. Dose-response analysis has the potential to guide minimum and optimum recommendations on the management and use of nearby nature for preventative healthcare.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Engagement with the natural world increases feelings of connection, unity or being part of the natural world, which has been linked to psychological health [44]. Indeed, increased nature connection has been associated with improved mental health [45] and subjective well-being [46,47]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Doses of Nearby Nature Simultaneously Associated with Multiple Health Benefits

Cox

Shanahan

Hudson

et al. 2017

IJERPH

222

147

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies that have examined the relationship between anxiety and green exercise have focused on the benefits of short bouts of green exercise on state anxiety and found that the greenness of the environment while exercising was more likely to be related to reductions in state anxiety than exercise on its own (Mackay and Neill, 2010). Regular exercise has also been associated with lower trait anxiety (Paluska and Schwenk, 2000) and as a result researchers have proposed that participation in regular green exercise is likely to be related to low levels of trait anxiety (Pretty et al, 2007; Martyn and Brymer, 2016). Studies have also found that nature can help manage and reduce the effects of stress, which if chronic might lead to anxiety (Vyas et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between the Physical Activity Environment, Nature Relatedness, Anxiety, and the Psychological Well-being Benefits of Regular Exercisers

et al. 2017

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Research from a variety of scientific fields suggests that physical activity in nature and feelings of connection to nature enhance psychological health and well-being. This study investigated the psychological health and well-being impact of the physical activity environment for those already undertaking the recommended weekly amount of physical activity. This topic is important for the design of health and well-being environments and interventions involving physical activity. Participants (N = 262) aged 18–71 years (M = 34.5, SD = 13.1) who met the UK physical activity guidelines completed the Nature Relatedness Scale, the trait section of the State Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety and the Psychological Well-Being Scale. Analysis via Multivariate ANOVA indicated that participants who engaged in outdoor physical activity reported significantly lower somatic anxiety levels and higher Nature Relatedness experience (NRexp). Significant results were not evident for wellbeing. Hierarchical regressions revealed that the psychological well-being facet of autonomy, NRexp, and outdoor physical activity predicted lower somatic anxiety, whereas indoor physical activity predicted higher somatic anxiety. Results indicate that somatic anxiety is lower for outdoor physical activity participation, and that outdoor activity, in conjunction with autonomy and NRexp, predicts lower anxiety levels. The findings extend previous work by demonstrating the impact of the physical activity environment on anxiety levels, as well as the contribution of outdoor physical activity and well-being facets to the previously established Nature Relatedness-anxiety relationship.

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“…For example, the measurable psychological construct of nature relatedness (see also nature connectivity, nature connectedness) captures to what extent an individual has an awareness of, and fascination with, the natural world; nature relatedness also assesses the degree to which an individual has an interest in making contact with nature. Since nature relatedness has been linked with health and wellbeing, it is considered a psychological asset [134,135]. However, it may also be a planetary health asset because emerging research shows that nature relatedness is positively associated with empathy, pro-environmental attitudes and humanitarianism (and negatively with materialism) [136][137][138].…”

Section: Moving Upstream-the Psyche Of Planetary Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larger Than Life: Injecting Hope into the Planetary Health Paradigm

Prescott

Logan

2018

Challenges

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Abstract:The term planetary health, popularized in the 1980s and 1990s, was born out of necessity; although the term was used by many diverse groups, it was consistently used to underscore that human health is coupled to the health of natural systems within the Earth's biosphere. The interrelated challenges of climate change, massive biodiversity losses, environmental degradation, grotesque socioeconomic inequalities, conflicts, and a crisis of non-communicable diseases are, mildly stated, daunting. Despite 'doomsday' scenarios, there is plenty of room for hope and optimism in planetary health. All over planet Earth, humans are making efforts at the macro, meso and micro scales to promote the health of civilization with the ingredients of hope-agency and pathway thinking; we propose that planetary health requires a greater commitment to understanding hope at the personal and collective levels. Prioritizing hope as an asset in planetary health necessitates deeper knowledge and discourse concerning the barriers to hope and the ways in which hope and the utopian impulse are corrupted; in particular, it requires examining the ways in which hope is leveraged by advantaged groups and political actors to maintain the status quo, or even promote retrograde visions completely at odds with planetary health. Viewing the Earth as a superorganism, with humans as the collective 'nervous system', may help with an understanding of the ways in which experience and emotions lead to behavioral responses that may, or may not be, in the best interest of planetary health. We argue that the success of planetary health solutions is predicated on a more sophisticated understanding of the psychology of prevention and intervention at all scales.

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The relationship between nature relatedness and anxiety

Cited by 225 publications

References 32 publications

Doses of Nearby Nature Simultaneously Associated with Multiple Health Benefits

Doses of Nearby Nature Simultaneously Associated with Multiple Health Benefits

The Relationship between the Physical Activity Environment, Nature Relatedness, Anxiety, and the Psychological Well-being Benefits of Regular Exercisers

Larger Than Life: Injecting Hope into the Planetary Health Paradigm

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