A treasure trove of research on the benefits of connecting with Nature

The Nature Fix is a fascinating book that brings together many research studies to confirm the fact that spending time outside engaged in Nature is highly beneficial to our health, happiness and wellbeing.

Journalist and author, Florence Williams, delves into the latest research to uncover the powers of the natural world to improve our health, promote reflection and innovation, and strengthen our relationships. By taking part in some of the sceientific studies herself, Florence goes into the detail of such studies and brings the evidence of the findings to life.

Broadly speaking, there are several key things that have a positive impact on us when we spend quality time in Nature including:

Place - people are happiest when they are enmeshed in their community and are able to build friendships in their local natural environment.

Weather - moods are often affected by the elements and experiencing various weather conditions brings different rewards and benefits.

Habitat - people are significantly happier, more relaxed and focused when they spend time outside in any green and natural environment.

Open Air - gently walking in Nature helps to clarify the mind, and makes us feel healthier, more creative and more empathetic.

Daylight - natural sunlight primes the retina's dopamine receiptors that control the shape of the development of the eye, and provides a rich source of Vitamin D at any time of the year.

Trees - spending time in ancient woodlands and forests helps us to cultivate and refine our senses and sensory perception (known as Forest Bathing).

The term Forest Bathing or Shinrin Yoku was coined by the Japanese Government in 1982 as a standard preventative medicine. 'It involves opening your senses to open them to the woods. It's not about wilderness; it's about the Nature/civilization hybrid that the Japanese have cultivated for thousands of years.'

Japanese people from the city literally 'shower in the greenery' while providing data for wellness science to understand how best to combat the stress of working long hours, commuting, working in a competitive environment and being deprived of any natural environment in towns and cities.

Entomologist, E O Wilson, identified 'the innate emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms as an evolutionary adaptation aiding not only survival but broader human fulfilment.' This is sometimes known as Stress-Reduction Theory, Psycho-Evolutionary Restoration Theory, or the Biophilia Hypothesis originated by Erich Fromm.

The passionate love of life and all that is alive; it is the wish for further growth, whether in a person, a plant, an idea or a social group.

Erich Fromm

In our culture, Nature is part of our minds and bodies and philosophy. In our tradition, all things are relative to something else. In Western thought, all things are absolute.

Yoshifumi Miyazaki

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The Nature Fix Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative by Florence Williams