08/04/2016
The stats back her up. According to findings published in 2010 from the University of Essex, in England, five minutes of “green exercise” outside in nature was as effective in treating mild-to-moderate depression in people of all ages as taking anti-depression medication, with young people and the mentally ill benefiting most. A seminal 1984 study from physician Roger Ulrich found that hospital patients recovered faster from gallbladder surgery when they had a view of nature out the window. A Japanese study published in 2006 in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology determined that “forest therapy,” or walking through treed landscapes, has a calming effect on people—lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol by 16 percent, as well as heart rate and blood pressure.
“We evolved as human animals to be part of nature and to be outdoors, so even the tiniest bit of nature connection is good for us,” explains Buzzell. “We have a deep longing for nature; it’s in our genes.” E.O. Wilson called this primal urge “biophilia.” “You can see it in children so clearly,” Buzzell says. “Their need to be outside is not just a thrill, it’s a physical and emotional need. We’ve just forgotten it.”
Excerpt from: http://www.outsideonline.com/2037911/daily-dose-ecotherapy-eases-stress-kids
Trauma from gun violence in schools could be alleviated with some simple one-on-one time with nature.
