“Any walk with nature gives you much more than what you are looking for. This observation by the American naturalist John Muir was confirmed decades later by an extensive scientific literature. While research is ongoing, experts are calling for reconnecting with this amazing woman to improve our health.
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A natural remedy under the eyes of science
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESS ARCHIVE
To take full advantage of nature, there’s nothing like adventure, says Virginie Gargano, an assistant professor at Laval University’s School of Social Work and Criminology.
While indigenous peoples have long been aware of nature’s impact on human well-being, many recent studies have clarified its role and demonstrated its benefits.
Spend an hour in nature walking, picking or contemplating. Your heart rate may slow, your blood pressure may drop, your cortisol levels, an indicator of stress, may drop, as may anxiety when you are stressed. These are the best-known benefits of contact with nature to date, backed by solid scientific evidence.
You may also feel less depressed, in a better mood, and less tired, as experiences in nature have been shown to be associated with better mental well-being and lower risk factors for certain mental illnesses.
A 2021 review of the scientific literature for SEPAQ by a team of researchers from the Montreal Heart Institute reaffirmed nature’s beneficial effects on overall health. These have been known intuitively for a very long time, but research interest in this topic has recently increased, the report states. So much so that a whole range of benefits and their mechanisms have yet to be explored.
Can a dip in nature be helpful in reducing mental fatigue or restoring our alertness that is constantly requested through email and text messages, Slack messaging, and social media notifications? This is the attention restoration theory developed by American psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan in the late 1980s. While prolonged mental exertion has been shown to deplete attentional resources and increase stress, exposure to nature promotes effortless brain function, allowing it to recover and restore its ability for directed attention. Provided that four factors are met: fascination, distance from everyday life, tolerance (you have to be inclined to be in contact with nature) and the richness of the environment.
Since then, researchers have pointed out the shortcomings of this theory, considered too vague, but others have pushed the research further.
A systematic review conducted in 2018 concluded that working memory, cognitive flexibility and, to a lesser extent, attentional control are improved after exposure to natural environments.
In 2020, Alexandre Marois, researcher in human factors and cognitive psychology, wrote an article on restoring attention in the Quebec Journal of Psychology after studying the topic as part of a doctoral internship at the University of Denver. In an interview, the man who now works at Thales Research and Technology Canada specifies that it is a “relatively emerging literature” and that there is “significant variability in studies and a lack of consensus”.
Nevertheless, these results are promising and should be taken into account in the planning of cities, workplaces and schools, he believes. It goes beyond placing a plant in the corner of a room or looking at a photograph of a forest. “Studies that used real environments but also longer exposure times are associated with better attentional benefits,” he notes.
The 3-30-300 rule
To feel good, you have to be close to nature, say researchers from the Institute for Global Health in Barcelona. In a study published in Environmental Research in December 2022, they confirmed the benefits of the 3-30-300 approach, according to which each person would benefit if they could see three trees from their home, if they lived in a neighborhood with about 30% tree canopy, and if they lived within 300 m of a park or forest.
The most recent index for metro Montreal is 25.3% and varies by city and neighborhood.
Access to nature is a “big problem,” says Virginie Gargano, an assistant professor at Laval University’s School of Social Work and Criminology.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY LAVAL UNIVERSITY
Virginie Gargano, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Work and Criminology at Laval University
When we talk about equity and social justice, accessing nature experiences is more difficult for people who don’t have access to vehicles and live in the center of a city like Montreal or Quebec.
Virginie Gargano, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Work and Criminology at Laval University
Regularly accompanying groups on expeditions, Ms. Gargano firmly believes that nature and adventure are intrinsically linked in terms of utility. “When I climb I am in contact with the earth, when kayaking I am in contact with the river […]. It’s not just about looking at a plant. It is the fact of being in nature and doing physical activity that favors the effect on a physiological and psychological level. »
“Removing barriers and increasing access to natural environments and designing and maintaining urban green spaces should be a priority for people’s health,” says Gregory Bratman, assistant professor and director of the Environment and Wellbeing Laboratory at the University of Washington.
When it comes to the benefits of nature, however, he cautions against generalizations. According to him, the extent and details of the effects depend on many factors, including the relationship we have with nature, our initial state of health, and our preferences for different types of interactions. Words that join those of Virginie Gargano, for whom immersion in nature will not automatically benefit everyone at every moment of a development process.
Biophilia, from school to the doctor’s office
PHOTO GETTY IMAGES
The nature as a learning environment would promote the motivation of the students.
In the heart of neighborhoods, in workplaces or in schools, nature needs to find a place in our daily lives, say many experts. Starting with Alexandre Marois, a researcher in the field of human factors and cognitive psychology, for whom putting nature at the heart of work and educational environments “can be a way to improve well-being, reduce stress, and ultimately even work or student performance,” he continues.
The thinkers of the Lab-École, who place biophilia at the center of their reflections on the development of tomorrow’s schools, also believe this. In current projects – one school was inaugurated last year, three will open this year and two more are under construction – this is particularly reflected in the addition of natural landforms, plants, rocks, tree stumps and garden space in the courtyard, in arrangements that encourage the extension of teaching outdoors, as well as in the maximization of ventilation and natural light and the use of wood inside. While researching for the publication Thinking about the backyard of Tomorrow, the importance of biophilia became clear, not only in the light of expert opinions, but also by listening to the needs of children, many of whom, when asked to draw their dream garden, included plants.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LAB-ÉCOLE
The École des Berges in downtown Quebec has a courtyard open to a park with space for outdoor classes.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LAB-ÉCOLE
The courtyard of the Etincelle school in Saguenay, a Lab-École project that will welcome students of the next school year
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LAB-ÉCOLE
The Spark School exterior
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LAB-ÉCOLE
When asked to draw their dream garden, several children drew plants.
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At the Stadacona school in Quebec City’s Vieux-Limoilou, an area where the disadvantage index is high in both summer and winter, children learn at tree level during rooftop classes.
School officials notice an increase in their students’ motivation when they engage in outdoor learning activities.
Denis Morin, Coordinator of Educational Services and Evaluation at Lab-École
“We believe that increasing use of the outdoor classroom, courtyard and neighborhood will have a positive impact on student motivation and engagement, which the current research project can demonstrate,” said Denis Morin, coordinator of educational services and evaluation at Lab-École, in a written statement to La Presse.
nature fine
Nature is also inviting in medical practices. In Quebec, for a year now, health professionals have been prescribing nature just as they would prescribe medicine, with prescriptions noting their recommendation: walk as many minutes in such a place, X times a week.
More than 1,900 healthcare professionals are registered on the Prescri-Nature collective platform. “The beauty of this is that it can be prescribed for almost anything, but there are certain targeted interventions that may work better,” says Dr. Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers, general practitioner and member of the Prescri Nature collective.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, PRESS ARCHIVE
dr Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers, General Practitioner and President of the Quebec Association of Physicians for the Environment
There is ample data in the scientific literature on the benefits of contact with nature for various health conditions. The psychological health benefits are very well documented, particularly when it comes to anxiety symptoms, mood swings and depressive symptoms.
dr Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers, general practitioner and member of the Prescri Nature collective
Nature is rarely prescribed as the sole treatment, she says, but rather as a complement, just like physical activity or mindfulness meditation. “I speak to most of my patients who come to us with mental health issues—depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders—immediately. And I’m starting to integrate it more globally into the basic advice for promoting and preventing good health, just like smoking and alcohol. »
Should nature be consumed in moderation? Gregory Bratman invites a broader perspective: “As scholars and traditions of different worldviews based on indigenous and local knowledge have long emphasized, not only do we benefit from contact with nature, we also live in an interdependent relationship with the natural world.” So instead of focusing on the benefits of nature, our crucial relationship with it should be recognized.
Research today turns to multisensory experiences. How do noises, smells and colors affect our natural pools? It seems that birds are also natural helpers through their singing.
In collaboration with Catherine Handfield
Learn more
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