Need a mood boost? Just 5 minutes in nature will increase happiness, study finds | WebBurb
Need a mood boost? Get outside.
In the first study, a total of 123 participants from the university’s psychology department participant pool were assigned either to an outdoor location (an urban park on the border of the campus) or an indoor location (a windowless laboratory room). Participants were asked to put away all electronic devices and focus on their setting while remaining seated for five minutes.
For the second study, 70 participants from the university’s psychology department pool were asked to spend 15 minutes (without electronic devices) seated in both settings. For the second study, researchers also included a scale for participants to score negative emotions including stress, depression, and anxiety on a four-point scale.
“There are two important take homes; the first I emphasize to all my students these days — when you need an emotional boost, the fastest and easiest way is to spend a few minutes with nature,” one of the study’s authors, Katherine D. Arbuthnott, told PsyPost. Arbuthnott noted that being outside is the best option, but looking at photos of natural scenes can also help.
“The second is that, since contact with nature is so beneficial to our emotional health, preserving our local natural spaces is an important public health goal,” she added.
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