Nature: It’s Doctor Recommended

By Jason Mark

May 2, 2016

Spending time in nature is good for you. That’s a classic bit of folk wisdom, of course, as old as parents telling their kids to get outside and play. In recent years, though, research from the fields of physiology and psychology has given new scientific legitimacy to the old insights about the benefits of spending time outdoors.

British researchers, for example, have found that walking through green spaces contributes to a relaxing state of “effortless attention”—as your feet wander, your mind roams, shedding anxiety. In a similar study, Stanford scientists found that “nature experience, even of a short duration, can decrease [the] pattern of thinking that is associated with the onset, in some cases, of mental illnesses like depression,” as one of the lead researchers told the Washington Post. Hospital patients who have the opportunity to spend time in gardens report lower levels of pain and stress.

Simply having a view of trees can be beneficial. Students placed in a classroom with green views are better able to focus and also to recover from stress, according to a study in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning

Bolstered by such findings, some MDs are beginning to prescribe time outdoors as a way of treating diabetes, obesity, mental health disorders, and ADHD.  

Walking in the woods as a prescription drug? The notion is ideal for a spoof—and, thankfully, one filmmaker has made that spoof. Since Justin Bogardus first posted his short film, “Nature Rx,” last year, the spot has gone viral. It’s racked up 10 million views online and has won Bogardus a slew of film festival awards for “Best Short.”

So check out the video. Send it to your friends and family. Then turn of your computer, take the ad’s advice, and get out there.

But please remember: You might experience certain side effects. While nature is completely shareable, as the spoof reminds us, “Nothing in Nature is clickable.”