How can we enhance our well-being and happiness?   

To investigate the effects of noticing and attending to nature, Canadian researchers randomly assigned 400 participants to three conditions: Group 1. Nature: they asked them to notice nature around them, Group 2. Human-Built: they asked them to notice human-built objects, and 3. a control group: they were not asked to focus on anything.   They asked all groups to notice their emotions, identify what evoked the emotion, and then photograph it. After two weeks, all participants reported any perceptions of beauty, their well-being, sense of meaning, and general connectedness to others. 

Results? After controlling for variables like time of day, location type, weather, and companionship, participants felt happier and more inspired when in nature. They experienced a sense of connectedness to other people, to nature, and to life, but significantly higher in the nature group compared to the human-built and control groups. Persons in all groups’ well-being increased most when evoked by natural scenes. 

Stop and smell the flowers! In your everyday life, find nature’s beauty! Treasure it and observe it carefully. Photograph it. Share your feelings and experiences with others.

Written by Vanessa Melendez, B.S.

Reference:

Passmore, H.-A., & Holder, M. D. (2016). Noticing nature: Individual and social benefits of a two-week intervention.