ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Studies show that trees make us happy.
Walking by, siting by one or even looking at a tree feels good.
Whether in a hospital, a front yard or a park, they help calm us down.
HAPPIER:
A major study in the UK followed 10,000 Brits—for 17 years—as they moved around the country. The greener the neighborhood, the happier the people reported they were, no matter how much they made, whether they were married, how healthy they were, or how nice their home was.
EXERCISE:
This comes on top of recent research that says green exercise, or working out outside, is also a significant boost to happiness. Simply getting outside—and moving—for as little as five minutes at a time improved both mood and self-esteem. But trees do even more than that. They can also make you smarter.
SMARTER:
Marc Berman runs the Environmental Neuroscience Lab, which is interested in how the physical environment affects the brain and behavior. One of his studies sent volunteers on a 50-minute nature walk or a 50-minute city walk. Those who took the nature walk performed about 20 percent better than their counterparts on tests of memory and attention. They also tended to be in a better mood.Trees can you heal you too.
HEAL YOU:
In 1984, a researcher named Roger Ulrich noticed something very tree-related among patients recovering from gallbladder surgery in Pennsylvania.
Those who had been given rooms overlooking trees were being discharged almost a day sooner, on average, than those in identical rooms that faced a wall.
According to Scientific American, when hospital patients have a tree viewing window, they use less pain medication, and it reduces anger.
Always request a room with a view of a tree. Trees are calming and reduce heart rates while reducing stress.Bottom line, everyone is stressed these days due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
One thing social distancing and safer at home guidelines allow, is to go out for exercise.
Use the social distancing guidelines, but try to mix some trees into your daily routine -- even if it’s looking out your window.
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