Nature- A Calm Balm for Your Brain

At Moodify, we’re not only interested in how good food can impact your mood. We are curious about just about anything that can help shake away the blues. So, after you eat your Moodify oatmeal for breakfast, go out for a short walk and look at a tree or the sky.

Ever notice how going for a walk, especially in green or blue spaces can calm the mind? We recently had a conversation about this, and all agreed that spending even just a few moments outside with a tree had the ability to adjust our outlook and reduce the impact of the stress we were experiencing. Someone suggested that it was just about letting your brain rest and distract it from the thing that was causing the stress or agitation. You know, like removing your hand from something hot.  

This nature trick is definitely a calm balm for your brain and it seems pretty universal to all.

After this conversation, we started wondering why little nature breaks can change our outlook so dramatically? Why does it seem to work for so many? What is the science behind it?  So we did a little research and it turns out we were not the first to ask this question. There are several theories we discovered to help explain the phenomenon.

The Biophilia Hypothesis

In simplest terms. The biophilia hypothesis argues that since our ancestors evolved in wild settings and relied on the environment for survival, we have an innate drive to connect with nature.

The Stress Reduction Hypothesis

The stress reduction hypothesis presents that spending time in nature triggers a physiological response that lowers stress levels. This theory states that looking at scenery containing natural elements like greenery or water creates positive emotions and feelings like interest, pleasure, and calm, and has a restorative effect, easing our state of alert following a stressful situation.

The Attention Restoration Theory

The Attention Restoration Theory, or ART for short. It holds that nature replenishes one’s cognitive resources, restoring the ability to concentrate and pay attention.

Each of these theories have slight differences, but essentially are saying the same thing… Get outside for a minute or an hour. Reset your brain and then try again.

 We also have to say, protect nature and natural spaces we all need it.

Read more about it in this article from the American Psychological Association.