If you don’t have time for a relaxing walk through the woods, try watching a nature video instead.
A new study finds that seeing even a brief video of nature scenes significantly improved the mental health of viewers — especially compared to watching scenes of urban environments.
The researchers focused on people in late adolescence, an age group that has suffered considerable mental health impacts in recent years — including depression and suicide ideation — especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Adolescence is a time of multiple transitions and a vulnerability period for mental health difficulties,” the study authors wrote. “There are many barriers to the treatment of mental health conditions … [o]ne approach is to use nature-based interventions (NBIs) to improve mental wellbeing.”
The study, published in Nature: Scientific Reports, notes that about 50% of all mental health disorders begin during adolescence, with their prevalence increasing to 75% by age 24.
To test whether videos would have any effect on mental health, the researchers gathered 76 young adults, ages 18 to 25, and randomly assigned them to two groups: One group watched a video showing a walk through a natural environment, while the other watched a scene of urban train commuters.
Both videos were six minutes in length, and both featured sounds related to the videos, such as birdsongs and waterfalls in the nature video, and commuter train noises in the urban video.
The results showed that stress levels in the group that watched the short nature video were significantly improved compared to the urban group. The stress-reduction results lasted long-term and improved with each follow-up session.
Relaxation levels and attention spans were likewise improved in the nature-video group.
However, depression levels, described by the study authors as “depressive rumination,” were not improved in either group, possibly because a brief video cannot compare to actual time in nature for addressing symptoms of depression.
The study authors stated that their video research could have important implications for people who don’t have access to natural areas, such as those who live in low-income, urban areas where there isn’t much green space, people who are in prison, inpatient settings or are bedridden.
Many adolescents are also deprived of time in nature, the authors noted, because of schoolwork demands and excessive time indoors on screens, especially on social media.
“Virtual exposure to nature offers a potential adjunct to real-world exposure to natural environments and the evidence suggests that this can be effective in improving wellbeing,” the authors wrote.
This new research builds on previous studies that have found mental health benefits from time spent in nature, especially near water. Nature-based interventions include a wide spectrum of nature and natural connections, including “Shinrin-yoku,” the Japanese technique of forest bathing.
Some other nature-based interventions can also incorporate psychological approaches and therapies such as mindfulness, meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).