On a fine November Saturday, a friend and I parked at the rear of the Holyoke Community College Campus and set out on the HCC circuit trail. In no time, we were up on a ridge with sheer drops, enjoying the beautiful fall foliage of the forests of Southampton. We saw only one other hiker the entire afternoon–this in area less than a mile from the busy streets of the city.
We are blessed with beautiful natural get-aways in the Pioneer Valley, and we are surrounded with farms, forest, and waterways. There is a growing body of evidence that time spent in the wild — among trees, plants, grass, water, animals — anything that is not made directly by humans, is very beneficial to human health. (This includes gardens, which are planted by people but grow on their own.)
Of course, green spaces and infrastructure, especially in urban communities, like Springfield, Chicopee and Holyoke, have direct positive effects on the environment. They help prevent flooding, improve air quality, muffle noise, and counteract the “heat islands” caused by dark surfaces like asphalt — all good for our wellbeing.
Moreover green and blue spaces (natural bodies of water) speak to whom we are as Homo sapiens. Human beings are “biophilic.” We have an innate propensity for natural surroundings. That is why we are more prone to be in a state of what psychologists call “restful attention,” and are more relaxed in natural environments. During the Covid pandemic, “nature bathing,” — spending time being meditative and observant in wild settings — spread from its origins in Japan to countries around the world. Researchers discovered that this time spent just being in nature had significant positive effects on mental and physical health.
One of the most in-depth studies was one published in 2022 by researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. They looked at youth, ages 2-18 years. Choosing from among 1,471 research articles about green space, they selected 28 that met stringent statistical criteria and were longitudinal — meaning the population studied was observed over months or years. Most of these studies used the commonly used though nerdy tool “normalized differential vegetation index” (NDVI) — which uses satellite/google map images to precisely measure areas of green within a given area.
These investigators found that proximity and time spent in parks and other green spaces clearly leads to better self-regulation, fewer ADHD and conduct symptoms, and better mental health generally. Exposure to nature acts to counteract the bombardment of stimulation from phones and tablets. In fact, some authors, like Richard Louv, in his groundbreaking book, “The Last Child in the Woods” (2005) have gone as far as to say that ADD should really be called NDD — Nature Deficit Disorder.
In the last three years, there has been an explosion of research showing other benefits of green (and blue) spaces. Living close to green space, or spending time there, has been shown to decrease anxiety, sadness, and conduct problems, and to increase social participation. Natural spaces improve memory and cognitive function and decrease the risk of dementia in the elderly.
Green space lessens the risk of obesity and improves cardiovascular health, probably as a result of increased physical activity, in all ages. This leads to a lesser risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart attack and stroke. There is decreased morbidity from respiratory illnesses (though there may also be increased allergies from tree pollen). Time in nature has been found to lessen overall morbidity and mortality and to decrease annual medical expenses.
Scientists have found that the minimum amount of time spent in nature to achieve significant health benefits seems to be two hours a week.
The benefits of trees are especially important. In fact part of a measure of good proximity to nature, used by European researchers, is the “3-30-300” rule — the ability to see at least three mature trees from one’s home, having a tree canopy covering at least 30% in the neighborhood, and being no more than 300 meters from a park or other greenspace — though many think that 500 meters distance (a 6–7-minute walk) is fine too.
For those whose time spent outdoors is limited, indoor plants offer health benefits as well. Even being able to see nature has advantages. Hospitalized patients have been found to heal faster if they have windows overlooking trees and gardens, or even landscape paintings hanging in their rooms, compared to those who just had walls.
Yet despite all these benefits, increased urbanization and time in which people are tied to their desks and screens has led to decreased time in nature for many. (And the dramatic federal cuts in funding for parks and for conservation generally have worsened this problem.)
As a pediatrician in Holyoke, I found it difficult to convince many of my young patients and families to get out in nature. Though, the Mt. Tom Reservation, two lovely reservoirs, and the HCC circuit trail are within Holyoke’s city limits, I found that many kids and their parents, are afraid of bears, bees, and other creatures. Or their lives are too hectic to travel to these green spaces or even to city parks which are more than 500 meters away.
Ironically, many of these families experience poverty — exactly the group of people who
benefit most from nature, research shows.
Physicians are now realizing that nature — like nutritious food — is a potent medicine. Doctors are now giving prescriptions for physical activity and spending time in natural settings. The American Academy of Pediatrics just published a book for parents, “Digging Into Nature: Outer Adventures for Happier and Healthier Kids.” Doctors are working with city and state park officials to optimize natural spaces and sports and other outdoor activities to improve the health of communities.
So, it’s important to remember to spend time in green spaces, even if winter weather sometimes turns them into white spaces!
Dr. David Gottsegen of Belchertown is a pediatrician who focuses on the interrelationship between mind body and spirit. His book “Mending the Body with the Mind: Harnessing Kids’ Superpowers to Heal and Stay Healthy” was published on Nov. 25.