Many people feel their head clear when they're out in nature, and research points the same way. The effect seems to be less about fresh air and more about what nature does to your thoughts.
In one experiment, healthy adults walked for 90 minutes, either through a green area or along a busy road. After the nature walk they ruminated less, and an area of the brain associated with rumination was less active. After the city walk there was no such difference. In a large survey, feeling good was also clearly more common among people who had spent at least two hours in nature in the past week.
Pick a path based on what your days look like:
- Green minutes in your daily life if you're short on time.
- One longer outing a week if you can set aside a couple of hours.
- Leave the headphones at home if you already walk outside.
- Two hours a week if you want to take it further.
A first step today: walk for ten minutes in the nearest park or green space, without your phone in your hand.
Many people feel their head clear after a walk in the woods or along the water. It sounds obvious, but the question is what's actually going on. The effect seems to be less about fresh air and more about what nature does to your thoughts: it draws your attention just enough, and leaves room for your mind to rest. This article covers what the research says and how much time seems to be enough, and gives you four ways to get out.
The city demands attention, nature gives it back
In a city, you constantly have to stay alert. Cars, bikes, signs, people: everything requires you to choose what to look at. Nature catches your eye too, with leaves, water and light, but in a way that asks nothing of you. That lets the part of your attention you steer by willpower rest. That idea, and the first experiments that tested it, are covered in mental recovery.
A walk that reduced rumination
Bratman and colleagues wanted to know whether nature affects rumination, meaning the same negative thoughts about yourself going round and round. Thirty-eight healthy adults in California, with no mental illness, filled out a questionnaire on rumination and had their brains scanned. They were then randomly assigned to a 90-minute walk, either through a green area with grass, oaks and shrubs, or along a road with three to four lanes in each direction and constant traffic. Afterward, the same measurements were taken again.
Those who walked in nature ruminated less than before the walk. On top of that, an area near the front of the brain, which other studies have linked to rumination and low mood, was less active. Among those who walked along the road, no such change showed up. The study was published in PNAS in 2015.
- In the green area Less rumination, calmer activity in an area linked to rumination.
- Along the road No change in rumination.
It wasn't the walk itself that made the difference, but where it went.
The experiment was small and measured the effect right after a single walk. It doesn't show that nature is a treatment for low mood, or how long the effect lasts. But it fits what many people notice: it's easier to let go of a thought among trees than in traffic. More on rumination and how to get out of it is in the guide to Mind.
Two hours a week
How much nature do you need? In 2019, White and colleagues used a large English survey of nearly 20,000 adults, who reported how long they had spent in nature in the past week and how they were feeling. Those who had spent at least two hours in nature during the week clearly more often reported good health and feeling well than those who hadn't been in nature at all. Below one hour there was no difference at all, and only from two hours did it show up, in both health and well-being. The benefit stopped growing at around three to five hours.
It made no difference how the two hours were spread out, whether as one long outing or several short ones. And the link held among older people and among people with long-term illnesses too.
This is a survey, not an experiment. It shows a link, not that nature was the cause. People who feel well may also have more energy to get outside. Still, the two-hour mark is a reasonable goal to try, and it's less than you might think: a little over 15 minutes a day.
Four ways to get out
Green minutes in your daily life. For you if you're short on time. Choose a route to work, school or the store that goes through a park or along the water, even if it takes a few minutes longer. Eat lunch on a bench instead of at your desk. First step: today, find the green route on a stretch you walk often.
One longer outing a week. For you if you'd rather bundle the time together. Set aside one morning or afternoon a week for a longer outing in the woods, a park or by the water. Two hours in one go covers the whole week's goal. First step: pick a place and put the outing in your calendar for the weekend.
Leave the headphones at home. For you if you already walk outside but bring a podcast or a phone call along. Nature can only give you rest if your attention is allowed to be there. Walk part of your route with nothing in your ears and notice what you see and hear. First step: walk the first ten minutes of your next walk without headphones.
Two hours a week. For you if you want to take it further, and it's the most demanding path. Track your time in nature for a week and aim for at least two hours. Notice how your head feels on the days you've been outside compared with the days you haven't. First step: tonight, write down how many minutes you were outside today.
If you ruminate so much that it takes over your daily life or your sleep, or you've felt low for several weeks, talk to a doctor or health professional. Nature can be a support, but it doesn't replace treatment.
A first step today: walk for ten minutes in the nearest park or green space, without your phone in your hand.
This is the understanding and a first step. Atlas is where it becomes a habit. Under Mind you'll find One thing at a time, where you count the times you walk without headphones or eat without a screen, and under Health & training you'll find Outside for 20 minutes. You log each time and see, week by week, how much time you actually get outside. Try Atlas free for 7 days, and cancel whenever you want.