Spending time in nature boosts health, study finds

We’re told to eat our five a day, get 150 minutes of exercise a week – and now a weekly blast of The Great Outdoors might one day be part of recommended guidelines too.

A new UK study has found that spending two hours per week soaking up nature – be it woodland, park or beach – gives a positive boost to health and wellbeing, both mentally and physically.

The study, published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, draws upon interviews with around 20,000 people in England about their contact with the natural world in the previous week.

It found that among people who had spent little or no time in parks, beaches or woods in the past seven days, close to half reported low levels of life satisfaction and one in four said they were in poor health.

Among people who had spent at least two hours in the natural world, only one in three said they felt dissatisfied, while just one in seven reported poor health.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda: This lush forest is one of the last homes of the mountain gorilla, and several hundred call this national park home.

Samburu, Kenya: A haven for some of Africa's most amazing wildlife, this national reserve is home to perfect sunrises, the endangered reticulated giraffe and Grevy's zebra.

Mount Toubkal, Morocco: The path to the "roof" of North Africa, the summit of Mount Toubkai gives climbers unrivaled views across the Atlas Mountains.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China: Known for its towering sandstone pillars, this forest is best explored on foot. Visitors can experience spectacular views on the 100-meter-long and 1.6-meter-wide glass skywalk clinging to the cliff of Tianmen Mountain.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam: One of the most popular natural attractions in Southeast Asia, Ha Long Bay is home to 1,969 islets of hulking limestone and deep, green waters that are home to myriad floating villages.

El Nido, Philippines: El Nido offers access to the limestone peaks of the Bacuit Archipelago, as well as some of the world's most beautiful beaches and captivating dive sites.

Rotorua, New Zealand: Located on New Zealand's North Island, Rotorua is home to geothermal waters, Maori culture, forests to explore and the Tarawera Ultra Marathon (Ryan Sandes is seen here training for it in February).

Kata Tjuta, Australia: The Anangu people, who have lived here for over 22,000 years, manage this land -- one of the most sacred in Aboriginal culture -- with Australian park authorities.

The Maldives: There's plenty of beach to enjoy with over 100 private resorts and guesthouses around the Male and Ari atolls. The beach on Ihuru Island on North Male Atoll is shown here.

Petra, Jordan: Explore the perfectly preserved ancient Nabatean city of Petra on camel back or strap on your walking boots and hike around its walkways. This is a sunset view of Ad Deir (The Monastery).

Atacama Desert, Chile: With the clearest skies on Earth, a tent in Chile's Atacama Desert is the perfect way to stargaze.

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica: This muggy, damp environment is home to lovely winding trails and an array of birds, big cats and insects.

Ciudad Perdida, Colombia: Known as "The Lost City," these ancient ruins are believed to pre-date Peru's Machu Picchu by as much as 650 years.

Dominica: Known as the nature island, this tiny Caribbean state is home to lovely coastlines, hot springs and rainforest treks.

Svalbard, Norway: Between the North Pole and mainland Norway, the Svalbard Islands are the perfect destination for polar exploration and spotting glaciers.

Lake Bled, Slovenia: Amid the backdrop of the Julian Alps, Lake Bled has become an iconic European destination for hiking and swimming.

Cappadocia, Turkey: Deep within the Anatolian plains, Cappadocia dates back to 3000 B.C. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's known for volcanic landscape, fairy chimneys and large network of underground dwellings.

Positano, Italy: One of the most beautiful villages in Europe, Positano is known for its killer boutiques and waterside restaurants and the Byzantine Church of Maria Assunta.

Lake District, United Kingdom: The UNESCO-protected Lake District is an inspiration for artists, wanderers and those seeking calm.

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia: While Croatia is already known as the ultimate European outdoor escape, Plitvice Lakes National Park is home to one of its most arresting sites: 16 lakes connected via waterfalls.

Vancouver Island, Canada: Visitors can spot grizzlies, elk and orcas on this island, which is also home to 2,000 miles of coastline, almost 10,000 lakes and acres of soaring mountains.

Denali National Park, Alaska: Home to North America's highest peak, Denali National Park protects six million acres of wild space, along with the moose and bears living there.

Horseshoe Bend, Arizona: Close to the entrance to Grand Canyon National Park, Horseshoe Bend is within easy walking distance of the nearest road.

Badlands, South Dakota: Named by the native Lakota tribe for its dry terrain, Badlands is known for its fossil beds.

Monument Valley, Utah: The bright red mesas and buttes standing high above the desert, where director John Ford shot many movies, are the stuff of American movie legend.

The 25 most gorgeous destinations on Earth

Prev Next

Complex relationship

“The thing that most surprised us was how consistent this was across nearly all the groups we looked at: young and old, male, female, urban and rural dwellers, those in deprived versus rich neighborhoods, but perhaps most importantly among those with long-standing illnesses or disabilities,” says Mathew White of the University of Exeter Medical School, who led the study.

“We were worried our effect was just that healthier people visited nature but this finding suggested even people with known illnesses who did manage to get two hours a week in nature fared better.”

White adds that further research would be needed to confirm these findings, with studies following participants over a longer time.

It didn’t matter whether people were enjoying their two hours in a single trip or spread across several sessions. The positive impact also levels off: There weren’t increased benefits for people whose time in the wild greatly exceeded two hours.

The study also only measured time spent in public landscapes, rather than sitting in one’s own garden.

America's urban national parks: It's fitting that the birthplace of President Teddy Roosevelt (pictured), who founded the NPS, is itself a national park in New York City. Click through the gallery to find more national parks in cities:

Boston National Historic Park, Massachusetts: Eight sites, including Faneuil Hall, comprise this historic walking tour.

Gateway Arch National Park, St. Louis: The famous silver arch was the first major commission for Finnish architect Eero Saarinen.

The National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, DC: The tall white Washington Monument is the most eye-catching site in "America's front yard."

San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico: The Spanish built this fortification, which was also a US military base during the World Wars.

Independence National Park, Philadelphia: The famous Liberty Bell, pictured here, is just one of the attractions in "America's most historic square mile."

World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, Honolulu, Hawaii: This site, which commemorates the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, is accessible only by boat.

Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York City: In addition to being a national park, Lady Liberty is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Alamo Mission, San Antonio: A major site of the Mexican-American War, it's also responsible for the phrase, "Remember the Alamo!"

US national parks you'll find in the middle of cities

Prev Next

Passive vs active

Of course, people are more likely to be physically active when out in the Great Outdoors.

“One explanation for our findings might be that time spent in nature is a proxy for physical activity, and it is this which is driving the relationship, not nature contact per se,” the report says. Although it points to research into the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest-bathing, which suggests that “various psycho-physiological benefits can be gained from merely sitting passively in natural vs. urban settings.”

Mark Holder, an associate professor of psychology from the University of British Columbia, studies the science of happiness. He tells CNN Travel: “Mindful experiences in nature seem to increase wellbeing, and the size of the effect is strong.”

June Gruber, an assistant professor at University of Colorado Boulder’s department of pyschology and neuroscience, tells CNN Travel, “This is an elegant study conducted on an impressively large sample size providing some of the first scientific clues into our deeply-rooted human ties with nature.

“This work suggests that nature is not simply a luxury – or something to do once a year on a vacation – but an essential element of our ability to thrive on a daily basis as humans. I look forward to seeing more work probing into the mysteries between how and why exposure to nature contributes to wellness in humans, and hope it reminds us of the need to preserve and take care of our critical environment around us.”

Her colleague Amanda L. Mahaffey concurs. “The relationship between nature and wellbeing is robust and multifaceted,” she tells CNN Travel. “A vast body of research shows us that, above all, humans flourish in nature. Pretty much everything about nature has a positive effect on us in some form.”

As an England-based study, further research will need to be done to see whether exposure to nature has the same impact internationally.

England is a “high income, largely urbanized, society,” the report observes, and, curiously, while exposure to nature had a consistent positive impact on participants who identified as white British, people from other ethnicities and cultures did not report the save levels.

This, the study argues, might be to do with how much participants feel a personal connection with the landscape.

“Contact with nature is more than just a complex multi-sensory experience,” it says. “To varying degrees, personal histories and meanings, longstanding cultural practices, and a sense of place play some role in the benefits realized, factors which may account for why we did not find the same pattern for health individuals not identifying as white British.”

Upcoming research

White tells CNN Travel that his team has recently finished data collection for a similar study across 18 countries: 14 in Europe, plus the US, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong.

“The results for that study should be out soon but, obviously, there are all relatively developed countries as well, so the next big question is how relevant is all this for people in developing countries, especially where ‘nature’ may contain many more threats to health and wellbeing,” he says. “In short, we are cautious about overgeneralizing these England-specific findings internationally at this stage.”

The University of Exeter Medical School research is, reports the Guardian, based on the world’s largest study collecting data on participants’ weekly contact with the natural world. As such, it’s breaking new ground rather than offering solid conclusions.

The report concludes, “We see our findings as an important starting point for discussions around providing simple, evidence-based recommendations about the amount of time spent in natural settings that could result in meaningful promotion of health and wellbeing.”