Why Nature Contact Is Good for Us

Michelle Ma · March 30, 2026

Featuring the Center’s Co-director, Gregory Bratman, PhD

Most people agree that time in nature is good for our mental and physical health. Whether it’s a remote wilderness backpacking trip or 15 minutes spent sitting on a park bench, people tend to feel better if they have some interactions with nature.

Many scientific studies confirm this as well. Over the past two decades, and especially in the last few years, researchers have increasingly documented the positive effects of natural spaces on mental health and well-being. This includes outcomes like feeling less lonely, lower levels of burnout and depression and better abilities to cope during stressful situations.

Now researchers are trying to figure out the mechanisms at play that link improved human well-being to contact with nature. In other words, what’s happening inside of us that causes us to respond positively to nature, sometimes without us even knowing it? Understanding these pathways could have implications for improved mental health, more intentional urban planning, and tools for helping individuals get more well-being benefits from nature.

“The more we can learn about how aspects of nature affect our minds and bodies, the more we’ll understand why these effects and associations exist, and why they have been observed in many different studies,” said Greg Bratman, associate professor in the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and director of the Environment and Well-Being Lab. “This is important to know for a variety of reasons, including effective tailoring of a nature intervention or informing decision-making about how to integrate nature into cities and conserve open space — where it exists, how to maintain it, and what types of contact with natural environments matter most for people’s well-being.”