Thursday, July 16th 2026
If you’ve ever felt calm after a walk in the park or in the woods, it’s not just an impression. Science shows that contact with nature causes changes in brain activity related to relaxation, writes the BBC.
Staying in green environments can help reduce stress hormones, improve blood pressure, calm the heart rate and can even positively affect gut health.
It is not necessary to spend hours in the mountains or in the forest to benefit from these effects.
According to studies, the greatest impact can be achieved after about 20 minutes in nature.
Even a walk during your lunch break in the park, several times a week, can bring benefits to the body and mind.
The sight of trees, the smell of the forest, the rustling of leaves or the song of birds immediately affect the autonomic nervous system, the network of nerves that controls the body’s involuntary functions, such as heart rate and breathing.
This can happen even during a simple visit to a park near home.
According to Kathy Willis, professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford, staying in nature causes changes such as: lowering of blood pressure; slowing the heart rate and improving the heart rate.
All of these are associated with a greater state of physical calmness.
A study in Great Britain, which involved about 20,000 people, found that people who spent at least 120 minutes a week in green spaces were more likely to report better health and higher psychological well-being.
Because of these results, several countries have launched programs – where people are oriented towards activities in natural environments to improve physical and mental health.
2. Nature helps balance hormones
The body’s hormonal system is also affected by being outdoors.
According to researchers, spending time outdoors helps reduce levels of cortisol and adrenaline, two hormones that increase when the body is under stress or anxiety.
One study showed that people who stayed in a hotel room for three days and inhaled the scent of Japanese cypress (hinoki) oil had: of adrenaline and increased defense cells of the immune system.
These cells, called natural killer cells, help the body fight viruses and harmful cells.
Even two weeks after exposure to this aroma, their level remained higher.
According to Professor Ming Kuo from the University of Illinois, nature “calms what needs calming and strengthens what needs strengthening”.
It is not only the sights and sounds of nature that affect us. The scents of trees and soil also play an important role.
Plants emit natural chemical compounds that pass into the air, and some of them can enter the body through breathing.
For example, the scent of a pine forest can help calm the body in just 90 seconds, and the effect can last for about 10 minutes.
The calming effect of scents is not only related to memory or experiences. personal.
A study showed that even very young babies, who have not yet created emotional connections with certain scents, calmed down when a scent known for its relaxing effects, such as limonene, was distributed in the environment.
4. Nature also helps gut health
In addition to influencing the mind, nature can also influence the gut microbiome – the community of millions of beneficial microorganisms that live in our bodies.
Soil and plants contain beneficial bacteria, similar to those found in some probiotic products.
Researchers say that exposure to some of these microorganisms can help the immune system; positively affect the mood and strengthen the body’s defenses.
Plants also release natural substances called phytoncides, which may have protective properties against some harmful microorganisms.
According to infectious disease scientists, contact with the earth and nature acts as a “stimulus” for the immune system, helping it to react better.
Not everyone has the opportunity to go to the woods often, but even small elements of nature in the daily environment can bring benefits.
Experts suggest: placing flowers in the home, especially flowers with white or yellow colors, which have been associated with calming effects; using natural scents, such as essential oils with a similar composition to those of trees, and looking at nature scenes.
Even a picture of a forest or a green view from the window can cause calming changes in brain activity and reduce stress levels.
According to researchers, any contact with nature – even a small one – can help improve physical and mental health.
Source: prizrenpost
