Green Prescriptions Could Reduce the Benefits of Spending Time in Nature

Spending time in nature is believed to help people's mental health. However, a new study suggests that giving people with existing mental health conditions formal 'green prescriptions' could undermine some of the benefits. The findings of the study are published in the journal Scientific Reports. The study investigated whether contact with nature has the potential to help people with mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, to manage their symptoms. They found that nature is linked to a number of benefits for these individuals, but only if they preferred to visit these places themselves.

The research team collected data from over 18,000 people in 18 different countries. A key aim was to learn why people feel motivated to spend time in nature, how often they visit, and how social pressure affects their emotional experiences during visits.

The findings suggest that while the pressure to spend time outdoors can encourage visits, it can also impair the potential emotional and wellbeing benefits of contact with nature.

The research team was surprised to observe that people with depression were already visiting nature as regularly as people with no mental health problems, while people with anxiety were visiting significantly more often. On the whole, both groups also tended to feel happy and informed low anxiety during these visits.

However, the benefits of nature appear to be undermined when visits were not by choice. The more pressure people felt to visit nature by presumably well-meaning others, the less motivated people were, and the more anxious they felt.

Matilda van den Bosch, Assistant Professor at The University of British Columbia, stated: "For green prescriptions, like with any intervention, it is vital to avoid pressure to obtain compliance with the treatment. Nature cannot be forced on anyone, but must be presented at the individual's own pace and will."

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SOURCE:MedIndia