There’s a term called biophilia, used to describe humans natural love for nature. The word was first used by a psychologist named Erich Fromm and later made famous by a scientist named Edward O. Wilson. They believed that people are born with a deep connection to the natural world.

For most of human history, we lived outside surrounded by trees, animals, rivers and mountains. Nature was where we got our food, found shelter, and learned how to survive. So even today, in our busy cities and digital lives, we still feel drawn to the outdoors.

You can see this love for nature all around us:

• Art and photos often show landscapes, animals, or flowers.
• Music and poetry talk about the ocean, the sky, seasons, and birds.
• People go hiking, camping, or just take a walk in the park to relax or clear their mind.
• Even cities are starting to add more green spaces like parks and rooftop gardens because it makes people feel better.

Fortunately, there is a growing evidence base to support this phenomenon in the way it relates to our health and wellbeing.  Exposure to nature, whether by sight, sound, smell, taste or touch has been shown to provide the following benefits - boosts our immune system, reduces blood pressure and stress, encourages physical activity, improves sleep, enhances respiratory health, reduces anxiety and depression, boosts mood and happiness, enhances focus and creativity, encourages mindfulness and builds social connection (Franco, Shanahan, & Fuller, 2017).

One study found that when compared to walking inside, walking outside was associated with a faster walking pace and greater physiological effort (verified by heart rate and blood lactate), suggesting that participants perceived exercise to be less demanding when performed in the natural environment (Barton & Pretty, 2010).

A 2014 study by Knight et al. titled “The Relative Merits of Lean vs. Enriched Offices: Three Field Experiments” investigated how adding plants and visual enrichment to sparse, minimalistic “lean” office spaces impacted workers. They found that in comparison to minimalistic “lean” environments, green plant rich workspaces increased productivity by 15% as well as employees reporting a 23% greater sense of psychological ownership associated with higher motivation and engagement in their work.

Even just being exposed to the colour of nature has a benefit with one study by  Akers et al. (2012) finding that cycling for 5 minutes with a video of green foliage at the fore of participants visual field decreased their exertion levels for the same amount of physiological effort in comparison to cycling with the same video with a red filter or the same video with no colour.

So, what are the recommendations? How can we start benefitting from exposure to nature?

Whilst there being no official recommendations, the guideline's provided by the World Health Organization, NHS-UK and Canada PaRx all concur with the below:

• Follow the 2/20 rule. Research shows that people who spend at least 2 hours in nature each week report significantly better health and wellbeing, with the most efficient drop in cortisol (stress hormone) levels happening between 20 to 30 minutes.
• Exposure yourself to biodiverse areas with a combination of both green (parks, forests, gardens) and blue spaces (rivers, lakes, oceans). Wilder more biodiverse areas have stronger effects than urban parks with fewer natural elements.
• Additionally having plants in the home, work and gym environments will increase your exposure. Gardening, hiking, biking etc. are all ample all ways to engage in physical activity whilst also reaping the rewards of being in nature.

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References:

Akers, A., Barton, J., Cossey, R., Gainsford, P., Griffin, M., & Micklewright, D. (2012). Visual color perception in green exercise: Positive effects on mood and perceived exertion. Environmental Science & Technology, 46(16), 8661–8666. https://doi.org/10.1021/es301685g

Barton, J., & Pretty, J. (2010). The great outdoors: How a green exercise environment can benefit all. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(4), 392–397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.10.009

BC Parks Foundation. (n.d.). PaRx: A prescription for nature – Prescribers. Retrieved April 28, 2025, from https://www.parkprescriptions.ca/en/prescribers

Franco, L. S., Shanahan, D. F., & Fuller, R. A. (2017). A review of the benefits of nature experiences: More than meets the eye. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(8), 864. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14080864

Knight, C., Haslam, S. A., Postmes, T., & Jetten, J. (2014). The relative merits of lean vs. enriched offices: Three field experiments. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 20(3), 150–162. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000024

National Institute for Health Research. (2024). NEER030: A narrative review of reviews of nature exposure and human health and well-being in the UK (Report No. NEER030). [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5939107801595904

World Health Organization. (2024). Chapter 8. Nature and health. In Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on health and environment, 2024 update. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/who-compendium-on-health-and-environment/who_compendium_chapter8.pdf

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