Behind the Lens: Nature truly does have healing powers!
By: Robin D. Collin
“Did you know that exposure to nature (directly and simulated like photos) has been associated with increased psychological well being, cognitive restoration, and can both reduce stress and improve stress recovery?”
Research has shown an association of nature experiences with increased positive affect, subjective well being, happiness, and positive social interactions among many other wonderful benefits. These effects directly help to lower the negative impact of stress by reducing the negative moods tied to a stressed state. Moreover, for both kids and adults, nature experiences or visual exposure to nature (videos, photos, etc.) have even been shown to lead to cognitive restoration like improved performance on attentional tasks which helps reduce mental fatigue.
Fascinating, right? I think many of us instinctively feel the benefits of being or seeing nature but it is very cool to see the body of research that is attempting to understand these benefits. It is no wonder that nature scenes real or simulated are often incorporated into healthcare buildings, patient exam rooms, and offices. In these settings, nature views have long been shown to lead to improved recovery and reduced psychological stress.
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Personally, the sounds of water in motion and the sight of bodies of water have always calmed me mentally and physically so I tend to go to parks and trails that have large bodies of water and lots of trees. On this day, I was able to take a long, silent hike along the Eno River. I enjoyed each sound that landed upon my ears from the flowing sound of the river to the crunching leaves under my feet. I felt really good because I was in tune with my intuitive creativity and felt grounded in my body which made me feel mentally clear and physically safe. It was definitely the medicine I needed for the day.
I look forward to sharing and selling my best images from the day!
References:
1) Bratman GN, Anderson CB, Berman MG, Cochran B, de Vries S, Flanders J, Folke C, Frumkin H, Gross JJ, Hartig T, Kahn PH Jr, Kuo M, Lawler JJ, Levin PS, Lindahl T, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Mitchell R, Ouyang Z, Roe J, Scarlett L, Smith JR, van den Bosch M, Wheeler BW, White MP, Zheng H, Daily GC. Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective. Sci Adv. 2019 Jul 24;5(7):eaax0903. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aax0903. PMID: 31355340; PMCID: PMC6656547.
2) Berto R. The role of nature in coping with psycho-physiological stress: a literature review on restorativeness. Behav Sci (Basel). 2014;4(4):394-409. Published 2014 Oct 21. doi:10.3390/bs4040394
