In a new study, researchers found that nature around one’s home may help mitigate some of the negative mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The research was done by a team from The University of Tokyo.
In the study, the team conducted an online questionnaire survey completed by 3,000 adults in Tokyo, Japan.
They confirmed the link between five mental-health outcomes (depression, life satisfaction, subjective happiness, self-esteem, and loneliness) and two measures of nature experiences (frequency of green-space use and green view through windows from home).
They found more frequent green-space use and the existence of green window views from the home were linked to increased levels of self-esteem, life satisfaction, and subjective happiness, as well as decreased levels of depression and loneliness.
These results suggest that nearby nature can serve as a buffer in decreasing the adverse impacts of a very stressful event on humans.
Therefore, protecting natural environments in urban areas is important not only for the conservation of biodiversity but also for the protection of human health.
One author of the study is Masashi Soga, Ph.D. from The University of Tokyo.
The study is published in Ecological Applications.
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