FACTS
"NATURE DOESN'T RUSH, BUT EVERYTHING HAS A ROOM" (Lao Tzu)
Stay in nature
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Reduces stress
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Improves cognitive abilities
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Strengthens the immune system
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Enhances sleep quality
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Provides daylight and vitamin D
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Lowers blood pressure
Roger Ulrich
An American researcher suggests that nature’s stress-recovery effects on us stem from a positive impact on our mood when in contact with nature. Since humans originated in nature, we have relied on interacting with it. Those who survived were the ones most able to adapt and read nature’s cues. We interpret nature both consciously and unconsciously, recognizing places where we feel safe, can find food, and care for our children.
Attention Restoration Theory
The couple Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, professors of environmental psychology, developed a theory explaining how our directed attention becomes depleted and how we can instead recharge through spontaneous attention, or 'soft fascination.' They describe how nature naturally supports this type of attention.
Research in Japan
Researchers in Japan have found that activity in the parasympathetic nervous system increases by more than 50% when spending time in nature compared to an urban environment, which means we relax.