“There I feel that nothing can befall me in life—no disgrace, no calamity (leaving me my eyes), which nature cannot repair.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Nature has a positive impact on our brains, bodies, feelings, thought processes, and social interactions. Over 100 studies have shown this to be true. The positive impact of nature helps us to nurture openness, creativity, connection, generosity and resilience. This is true whether we are in nature, living near nature, or viewing nature in paintings and videos.
Having access to nature—either by living near it or viewing it—reduces stress and lowers cortisol levels over the course of the day.
Another study showed that participants who viewed a one-minute video of nature made them feel happy and they felt like they had enough time to do whatever they wanted to get done in their lives. This good feeling of nature lowered their levels of a biomarker (IL-6) that could lead to a decreased likelihood of cardiovascular disease, depression and autoimmune disease.
Patients with a view of nature out of a window, recovered faster from cardiovascular surgery.
A recent study showed that nature experiences led to reduced stress, easier recovery from illness, better physical well-being in elderly people and behavioral changes that improved mood and well-being.
Nature is a pathway to human health and happiness.
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