Green Living Is a Fight against Mental Illness

Jan, 2021 - By WMR

The recent research report published by Ecological Applications explains how exposure to a green view and introducing green space at home helps to manage mental illness.

Adapting to the new socio-demographic terrain is getting tougher with each passing day. While people are trying hard to acclimate to recent lifestyle changes that happened due to the pandemic, the fluctuations of moods are frequent and indicative of sabotage to the mental wellbeing. In this scenario, Ecological Applications, a journal focusing on environmental problems and their effects on society, has published a new study showing that exposure to nature can alleviate the mood and ensure mental stability. Researchers prepared a questionnaire and surveyed 3000 individuals in Tokyo. After tallying the results it was proven that nature takes a big toll on activities of the human brain.

The team used five mental health set-ups; subjective happiness, depression, life satisfaction, loneliness, and self-esteem, and the effect of two nature measurements such as frequency of green space and green view through the window on these mental health indicators. It has been scientifically proven that setting eyes on a green landscape soothes the over-active brain and induces relaxation. This idea was put into use while keeping in mind the urban landscape of the researched area.

Mental health problems have increased at an alarming rate across the globe. The WHO recently announced that if the state of mental wellbeing stays the way it is now, then by 2030 mental health problems will result in maximum morbidity. Researchers have taken into account, not only the conditions, but the lifestyle practices triggering these conditions such as frequency of smoking, frequency of alcohol consumption, number of working days per week, presence of a pet, and number of children in the home.

The outcome of the research states that homes with planned green spots or an extensive green view by the window are progressing faster compared to homes without it. With the infographic representation of data, results indicate that frequent exposure to nature has many constructive effects on the body and the mind, which is not only apt for an urban living but also acts as a positive reinforcement for a sustainable environment.