A new study finds quantifiable evidence that walking in nature could lead to a lower risk of depression.

Specifically, the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, found that people who walked for 90 minutes in a natural area, as opposed to participants who walked in a high-traffic urban setting, showed decreased activity in a region of the brain associated with a key factor in depression.

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Walking in nature might be a useful strategy to improve negative affect in adults with MDD. Future research should investigate different ways to integrate the beneficial effects of nature exposure into existing treatment plans for psychiatric outpatients with MDD.

This study was designed to examine whether interacting with nature has beneficial effects on memory performance and affect in individuals diagnosed with MDD. Specifically, we examined whether interacting with nature could improve the typically impaired short-term memory/working memory performance in MDD (Berman et al., 2011, Joormann et al., 2010, Landro et al., 2001). We also examined whether mood would change differentially after a walk in nature vs. a walk in an urban environment, as well as the relation between mood and memory effects. Improvements in mood would be of particular interest given that MDD is characterized by low levels of positive affect (Watson and Naragon-Gainey, 2010).

Human well-being is linked to the natural environment in myriad ways, and actionable understanding of these links is deepening in diverse disciplines (1–3). Many of the contributions of living nature (diversity of organisms, ecosystems, and their processes) to people’s quality of life can be referred to as “ecosystem services.” They include water purification, provision of food, stabilization of climate, protection from flooding, and many others (2). Worldwide, major efforts are underway to bring ecosystem services and their values into policy, finance, and management (4–6).

Our study revealed that the short forest bathing program elicited a significant decrease in pulse rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in middle-aged and elderly individuals. A short walk in the forest can reduce tension, anger, fatigue, depression, confusion and anxiety as well as improve positive emotion. In conclusion, the short forest bathing program contributes physiological and psychological healthy benefits on middle-aged and elderly people.

Connection with nature has been considered beneficial for psychological well-being since times of evolution. Differences in Indian and Western thoughts have viewed natural elements in different lights, varying between eco-centrism to anthropocentrism. The intrusion of technology and digitalized lives as a result of globalization has decreased connectedness with nature. Ecotherapy is a novel form of psychotherapeutic technique based on explicit environmental or ecological interventions. Social and therapeutic horticulture, animal-assisted interventions, care farming, green exercise, environmental conservation and wilderness therapy are some of the ecosystem-based approaches used in mental health. Based on the principles of positive and client-centered psychology, ecotherapy-related techniques have been shown to be effective in medical disorders like hypertension, obesity, post-surgical recovery and psychosocial conditions like depression, stress reduction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit hyperkinetic disorder (ADHD) and adjustment disorders. The principles of ecotherapy have been integrated into other psychotherapeutic techniques for better efficacy. This review attempts provides an overview of techniques, applications and challenges related to ecotherapy in psychology. The implications of its use during the ongoing Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, social isolation and consequent psychosocial aftermath are also discussed.