Why Being in Nature Makes Us Feel Better

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫? 🌿🧠 There’s something about stepping outside that can change how we feel. Our minds may become quieter, our attention shifts, and problems that felt enormous indoors can sometimes feel a little smaller beneath an open sky. But why? In this video, we explore what may be happening in our brains and bodies when we spend time in nature, including 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐲, “𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧,” 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥, 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐰𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥. You’ll also learn about research suggesting that natural environments may give our directed attention an opportunity to rest and help us recover from some of the demands of everyday life. And at the end, I’ll invite you to try a simple experiment the next time you step outside: 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Notice where your eyes naturally go. Notice what captures your interest. Notice your breathing and the speed of your thoughts. And notice whether the world feels just a little different afterward. Sometimes it’s interesting to understand why nature makes us feel better. And sometimes it’s enough just to let it. 🌿 📷 About the Footage All nature and wildlife footage featured in this video was filmed by me using my Nikon Z8, Nikon D850, and DJI Osmo Pocket 3. The scenes were captured in Colorado and Northern California, including Yosemite National Park, along with other beautiful natural areas I've had the opportunity to explore. One of my favorite parts of creating Nature with Laurie is being able to share the places, wildlife, and quiet moments I've experienced behind the camera with you. If you enjoy peaceful nature, wildlife, outdoor experiences, and exploring the connection between nature and well-being, I’d love to have you join me here on 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲. 🌿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 & 𝗙𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗚𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗲 & 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗻 (2019) Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers Read the study on PubMed 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 & 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 (2008) The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting With Nature Read the study on PubMed 𝗨𝗹𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗹. (1991) Stress Recovery During Exposure to Natural and Urban Environments View the research article 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗹. (2019) Nature and Mental Health: An Ecosystem Service Perspective Read the study on PubMed 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗹. (2019) Spending at Least 120 Minutes a Week in Nature Is Associated With Good Health and Wellbeing Read the study in Scientific Reports 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 0:00 What Nature Does For Your Mind & Body 1:17 Our Brains Are Working Harder Than We Realize 2:25 Attention Restoration Theory 3:38 Nature Doesn't Demand Our Attention 4:14 Soft Fascination 6:09 Stress Reduction Theory 8:37 Nature Changes What Our Brains Receive 10:45 Our Environment Isn't Neutral 12:39 Nature Can Change Our Perspective 14:32 Natural Rhythms 15:58 Try a Little Experiment 18:00 Outro #Nature #NatureTherapy #MentalWellbeing #ForestBathing #NatureWithLaurie