28/09/2021
In the book "The Comfort Crisis" Author Michael Easter met with Rachel Hopman, PhD, a neuroscientist at Northeastern University. She told him about the study she had been doing a discovered the health benefits of spending time in nature and explained the "Nature pyramid".
20 Minutes - That’s the amount of time you should spend outside in nature, like a neighbourhood park, three times a week. Hopman led a new study that concluded that something as painless as a 20-minute stroll through a city botanical garden can boost cognition and memory as well as improve feelings of well-being. “But,” she said, “we found that people who used their cell phone on the walk saw none of those benefits.”
5 Hours - The minimum length of time each month you should spend in semi-wild nature, like a forested state park. “Spending more time in wilder spaces does seem to give you more benefits,”
A 2005 survey conducted in Finland found that city dwellers felt better with at least five hours of nature a month, with benefits increasing at higher exposures. They were also more likely to be happier and less stressed in their everyday lives.
The Finnish government then funded another study in 2014 in which the scientists dumped people in a city center, a city park, and a forested state park. The two parks felt more Zen than the city center. No shocker. Except that those walking in a state park had an edge over the city-park people. They felt even more relaxed and restored.
3 Days - This is the top of the pyramid. Three is the number of days you should spend each year off the grid in nature, camping or renting a cabin (with friends or solo). Think places characterised by spotty cell reception and wild animals, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. city-park people. They felt even more relaxed and restored.
