Having a walk in the countryside can stop time from rushing by and lower levels of depression, stress and anxiety.
Having a walk in the countryside can stop time from rushing by and lower levels of depression, stress and anxiety
A study conducted by scientists at Carleton University, Canada, found people who spent time in a park “felt slower in nature” compared to when they had a walk of a similar duration in a city.
In the research paper ‘Time Grows on Trees’ - which can be found in ’The Journal of Environmental Psychology’ - the team wrote: “When one is trying to make the most of one's time, spending it on a pleasant activity in nature may not only increase psychological health in a number of ways, but may also provide the illusion of having spent more time enjoying the activity than one really did.”
Experts noted participants who went on country walks felt happier, and said they believed to have been immersed in nature for a long time, even if the walk was brief.
Ruth Ogden, Professor of the Psychology of Time at Liverpool John Moores University, explained: “It’s not just our sense of time in the moment which appears to be altered by the natural world, it's also our sense of the past and future.
“Previous research shows that spending time in nature helps to shift our focus from the immediate moment towards our future needs. So, rather than focusing on the stress of the demands on our time, nature helps us to see the bigger picture.
“This can help us to prioritise our actions so that we meet our long-term goals rather than living in a perpetual state of ‘just about keeping our head above water’.”
A separate study from psychologist Ricardo Correia at the University of Turku in Finland found those who stayed in a city felt “time poor” compared to those who spent time in leafy-green areas.
Tagged in Mental Health