HAVING TREES CLOSE TO HOME MIGHT EASE DEPRESSION RISK From promoting physical health to helping us connect to the Earth, natural green space comes with many benefits. And according to new research published in the journal Nature, you can add a mental health boost to the list. In the study, a team of European researchers found that the more trees that lined the streets of a neighborhood, the fewer antidepressants were prescribed to its inhabitants. STUDYING URBAN GREEN SPACE For the research, the team looked for correlations between the number of trees in a given area and the number of antidepressants prescribed, to find out whether "everyday" green space can positively affect mental health. They looked at data from nearly 10,000 residents in one German city to get numbers on antidepressant scripts and then compared those numbers with the number (and species) of trees on streets throughout the city. And sure enough, those who had more trees within a 100-meter radius of their homes were less likely to be prescribed an antidepressant. WHY DOES GREEN SPACE APPEAR TO BE SO BENEFICIAL TO MENTAL HEALTH? "Stress and poor attentional functioning are risk factors for depression," Melissa Marselle, Ph.D explains. And previous research has found that views of trees and other vegetation can reduce stress. Views of nature may also enhance cognition, according to earlier studies that found that "adults with low socio-economic status living in social housing who had a view of nearby trees from their homes reported greater attentional functioning." THE BOTTOM LINE Simply put: Planting more trees in urban areas appears to be a simple and cost-effective way to reduce the stress of its residents—and "help close the gap in health inequalities between economically different social groups," Marselle notes in a news release.
For more, visit mindbodygreen.com |
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