Important to note: The underlying meta analysis included interventional studies and might reflect a real causal link:
"""We included 103 observational and 40 interventional studies investigating ~100 health outcomes."""
Later in the paper the authors say that the interventional studies were mainly about forest bathing in Japan, where the control group did equivalent activities in an urban setting:
"""Within the 143 studies, 40 were interventional and the remainder observational. Out of the 40 interventional studies, 27 were investigating the association between shinrin-yoku and various health outcomes. Shinrin yoku, or “forest bathing” is a popular practice in Japan and neighbouring countries, and is defined as “taking in the atmosphere of the forest” (Park et al., 2010). It is said to have health-promoting properties and to reduce stress (Park et al., 2010). Participants of shinrin-yoku spend time in the forest either sitting or lying down, or walking through the forest. In studies investigating forest bathing, a control group carried out the same activity in an urban environment. These studies typically had small numbers of participants (between 9 and 280 participants)."""
So there is some small reason to believe that there might be a real, exploitable link here.
Shinrin-yoku is a term that means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing." It was developed in Japan during the 1980s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. [0]
Researchers primarily in Japan and South Korea have established a robust body of scientific literature on the health benefits of spending time under the canopy of a living forest. Now their research is helping to establish shinrin-yoku and forest therapy throughout the world.
> "You can just hang outside in the sun all day tossing a ball around. Or you can sit at your computer and do something that matters"
Or, you can sit at your computer and do the things that are currently collectively imagined to "matter". (Good enough for most of us, most of the time, including myself there.) Such perceptions of course are ever-shifting and what "matters" never lasts all that long in the form that is current & en-vogue at time t, except for such timeless intrinsics as shelter, food, hydration, good company and.. hanging outside in nature. =)
Last time I walked in the forest nearby, I almost lost balance because my brain started to fizzle. For some reason the sky / high trees / green surrounding / ground soil turns my neurons on too. I'm not doubting how nearby forests can massage your brain. That said, far-from-home nature has a very different impact.
I could sense my mood improving as scanned through the article, which begs an important question: does picturing a greenery of a forest up in the head have a similar effect -- on the brain, at least -- as spending time in an actual forest? (of course, picturing for sure won't expose the human subject to other holistic benefits the article talks about)
Here's an interesting piece from National Geographic Magazine on the subject from over a couple years ago. [0]
That would miss out on a few of the proposed mechanisms:
>“People living near greenspace likely have more opportunities for physical activity and socialising. Meanwhile, exposure to a diverse variety of bacteria present in natural areas may also have benefits for the immune system and reduce inflammation.
>“Much of the research from Japan suggests that phytoncides – organic compounds with antibacterial properties – released by trees could explain the health-boosting properties of forest bathing.”
It's nice that we have studies to confirm this, but I always thought this was common sense. Just the difference in air quality, compared to a city, is worth being in a pristine location -- every breath becomes pure pleasure. As a remote worker I take advantage of my ability to work anywhere in the world and venture with my laptop into nature as often as possible.
The impact to well-being necessary for affording spending more time in nature could be large too. E.x. the extra few million dollars of price tag of living among trees in the Bay Area.
There is an abundance of open space available to the public in the forms of national, state, county and city parks, Midpeninsula Open Space to name the most prominent. It's a much better set of resources than a private individual could possibly accumulate in what most consider an urbanized area in the USA. I'm happy to contribute my tax dollars for these assets for all. I have lived in urban/suburban areas where all the land has been bought up by private interests and there is a distinct paucity of outdoor opportunities in those areas by comparison.
When I lived in San Francisco (in a tiny room in a shared house in the Mission) a couple of years ago, I'd spend a little time after Sunday brunch every now and then walking around Mount Sutro. If you live in the city, I can't recommend it enough for your dose of forest bathing:
"""We included 103 observational and 40 interventional studies investigating ~100 health outcomes."""
Later in the paper the authors say that the interventional studies were mainly about forest bathing in Japan, where the control group did equivalent activities in an urban setting:
"""Within the 143 studies, 40 were interventional and the remainder observational. Out of the 40 interventional studies, 27 were investigating the association between shinrin-yoku and various health outcomes. Shinrin yoku, or “forest bathing” is a popular practice in Japan and neighbouring countries, and is defined as “taking in the atmosphere of the forest” (Park et al., 2010). It is said to have health-promoting properties and to reduce stress (Park et al., 2010). Participants of shinrin-yoku spend time in the forest either sitting or lying down, or walking through the forest. In studies investigating forest bathing, a control group carried out the same activity in an urban environment. These studies typically had small numbers of participants (between 9 and 280 participants)."""
So there is some small reason to believe that there might be a real, exploitable link here.