August 29th, 2024
Jonah Paquette, PsyD
Welcome to Three Good Things, my weekly newsletter where I share 3 ideas, resources, findings, or skills related to happiness and well-being.
Each week, I focus on a specific theme drawn from the science of happiness, including concepts like awe, gratitude, social connection, managing burnout, mindfulness, and much more.
This week's newsletter focuses on the psychological and health benefits of spending time in nature. I was particularly keen on exploring this theme after recently returning from a weeklong teaching experience on Cape Cod hosted by the Cape Cod Institute. For the past week, I had the honor of leading over 50 attendees from all around the world on a deep dive into the science of well-being. Something that stood out for me was how incredible it was to have this experience in such a beautiful setting. Each afternoon after completing my teaching, I'd go hiking, bike riding, swimming (though not too far off-shore thanks to the many sharks there!), whale watching, and more. I was struck by how being in this setting helped enhance my creativity, improved my mental clarity, and of course boosted my mood. So with that in mind, I'd love to share a bit more about what we know about the benefits of spending time in nature this week. And so, without further ado, here are this week's Three Good Things:
- Although we often think of spending time in nature as being healing, many of us may yet underestimate the impact of doing so for individuals suffering from depression. While many studies over the years have looked at the benefits of green spaces among those without mental health diagnoses, fewer have specifically examined the impact on more clinical populations. This study sought to remedy this, by looking at the effects of walking in nature (versus more urban settings) among people diagnosed with Major Depression. Impressively, the researchers found that spending time in nature significantly lowered levels of negative affect among the participants. While more research is needed, especially as it pertains to how durable these effects are, they nonetheless support the idea of encouraging people with depression to spend time outdoors as a supplement to other treatments.
2. While spending time in nature yields many benefits (including lowering our stress, boosting our mood, and more), one of the most powerful ways that it can positively impact us is in its capacity to evoke feelings of awe and wonder. Longtime readers and attendees of my talks know that I love talking about all things awe (in fact you can click here to check out my book Awestruck, or here to check out my TEDx talk on the power of awe). Although many things can evoke feelings of awe within us, studies from around the world have shown that nature ranks high on the list as far as being a common source of awe.
While feeling awe is a cool thing in and of itself, the really amazing part is that it can affect us in so many ways -- lowering our stress, boosting our mood, lowering inflammation, increasing feelings of connection, and much more. For a little dose of awe that I recently experienced, check out the video below featuring dozens of humpback whales off the coast of Cape Cod that I captured last week!
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3. Lastly, a very cool effect of spending time in nature is the fact that it not only benefits ourselves...it actually benefits those around us too. In this recent study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, researchers found that spending time in nature was significantly linked to increased prosocial behaviors in participants. In appeared that one of the biggest drivers of this was the effect of nature on our sense of self-transcendence. In other words, being around green spaces often leads us to see beyond ourselves, to feel connected to the broader world around us, and to accordingly act with greater kindness, caring, and compassion towards our fellow human beings.
So whether it's boosting our mood, decreasing our depressive symptoms, evoking feelings of awe, or making us kinder, these are just a few of the many benefits of spending time in nature!
Take-home/Action Step:
- If you can, try carving out even a bit of time in green spaces this week. While we might think this means we have to visit a national park or do something dramatic, studies have shown that as little as 20 minutes a day can make a world of difference to our minds and bodies. So whether it's a short walk around the neighborhood, time in a local park, or anything else that you can access this week, go for it!
- If you'd like to learn more about some of the benefits of spending time outdoors, I highly recommend the book Blue Mind which specifically focuses on the impact of being in or near bodies of water and its effects on our lives. And of course if the opportunity presents itself, feel free to jump in some water this week if you can :)
Stay in touch!
Thanks so much for being part of my newsletter, and I look forward to sharing more fun updates with you each week here. I'd also love to connect with you on social media (links below at the bottom of the page), and share a few fun resources with you in the meantime!
- If you're interested in my books, check out Happily Even After and Awestruck.
- Click here for my TEDx talk on the power of Awe.
- Click here for my TEDx talk on Gratitude & Mindfulness.
- Click here to check out my speaker reel, and here to book me as a speaker for your next event.
- Click here to check out my online course offerings.
- And of course check out my website for more information about my work.
Thanks so much for joining me!
Until next time,
Jonah
