The Impacts of Nature Experience on Human Cognitive Function and Mental Health
Citation
Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., & Daily, G. C. (2012). The impacts of nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1249(1), 118-136. doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06400.x
Researchers from many fields, including psychology, urban planning, medicine, and landscape design, have been studying how spending time in nature affects our overall well-being. This review brings together what is known about how experiences with natural environments cognitive function and mental health.
The authors explain the main theories about why nature benefits people, how different kinds of nature exposure have been studied (such as walks, views of greenery, or time spent outdoors), and how personal preferences for nature might shape these effects.
By combining insights from many separate areas of research, the authors suggest a new way to categorize different types of nature experiences. They also highlight important questions for future studies, such as:
- Which features of nature (like trees, water, or open space) have the greatest impact on cognitive and mental health?
- How much time do people need to spend in nature, and how often should they do so, to experience benefits?
- What brain processes might explain why nature helps improve our cognitive and mental health?
Overall, the review shows that connecting with nature can play a meaningful role in supporting mental and cognitive health, and points to new directions for understanding how and why these benefits occur.
Abstract
Scholars spanning a variety of disciplines have studied the ways in which contact with natural environments may impact human well-being. We review the effects of such nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health, synthesizing work from environmental psychology, urban planning, the medical literature, and landscape aesthetics. We provide an overview of the prevailing explanatory theories of these effects, the ways in which exposure to nature has been considered, and the role that individuals’ preferences for nature may play in the impact of the environment on psychological functioning. Drawing from the highly productive but disparate programs of research in this area, we conclude by proposing a system of categorization for different types of nature experience. We also outline key questions for future work, including further inquiry into which elements of the natural environment may have impacts on cognitive function and mental health; what the most effective type, duration, and frequency of contact may be; and what the possible neural mechanisms are that could be responsible for the documented effects.