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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWant to stop feeling so lonely? Walking in nature can be an effective salve for your mental health, Scandinavian researchers said Thursday. <\/p>\n
Strolling around a public park or the boundaries of a lake just several times a year helped the majority of more than 2,500 Norway adults improve their mental health, according to a new study.<\/p>\n
And it doesn\u2019t matter how long you go \u2013 as long as you go slow.<\/p>\n
The benefit comes from slowing down and noticing specific details, such as the light or patterns in the leaves on trees, the researchers say.<\/p>\n
It also comes from a sense of connectedness that people don\u2019t feel when they\u2019re jogging in nature or performing other activities that focus on personal performance instead of one\u2019s surroundings.<\/p>\n
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Spending multiple days a month or year walking outdoors can less the mental and physical burden of loneliness, Norwegian researchers say (Getty Images\/iStock)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\u201cWhen you see yourself as part of nature, you create a sense of belonging to a community,\u201d Sindre Johan Cottis Hoff, a research fellow in sociology at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, explained in a statement. <\/p>\n
\u201cMany people have previously argued that loneliness only relates to human contact and human communities, but in recent years, several studies have shown that attachment to places and natural environments also have a pronounced effect,\u201d he noted. <\/p>\n
Another potential explanation for why walking in nature helps is that it can make destructive thoughts more constructive. <\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral studies have found that feeling connected to nature counteracts precisely these types of destructive thought patterns and even improves relationships with other people,\u201d the researchers pointed out.<\/p>\n
The findings could have major implications for the 50 percent of American adults who report being lonely.<\/p>\n
Loneliness is a state of mind that results from feeling isolated or not having enough meaningful connections. It can affect any age group \u2013 although people between the ages of 30-44 were found to be the loneliest group in a 2023 national survey.<\/p>\n
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The study\u2019s findings build on past research showing the importance of connectedness to nature (Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nHowever, the impacts of loneliness reach beyond one\u2019s own feelings. <\/p>\n
Studies show loneliness and isolation are tied to higher risks for heart disease, depression and dementia. They\u2019re associated with high blood pressure, obesity, a weakened immune system and anxiety, according to the National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n
The impact of loneliness on our risk of premature death is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day.<\/p>\n
\u201cLoneliness and a sense of not belonging are major public health challenges. If natural environments are destroyed or become less accessible, it may be costly for society,\u201d Hoff added.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t have the ability to get out in nature, there are other ways to tackle loneliness. <\/p>\n
Reaching out to family or friends and serving the community helps, according to Harvard researchers.<\/p>\n
\u201cCollective service can provide important connections that relieve loneliness,\u201d they said, as well as \u201ccultivate meaning and purpose and mitigate mental health challenges.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Want to stop feeling so lonely? Walking in nature can be an effective salve for your mental health, Scandinavian researchers said Thursday. Strolling around a public park or the boundaries of a lake just several times a year helped the majority of more than 2,500 Norway adults improve their mental health, according to a new study. And it doesn\u2019t matter how long you go \u2013 as long as you go slow. The benefit comes from slowing down and noticing specific details, such as the light or patterns in the leaves on trees, the researchers say. It also comes from a sense of connectedness that people don\u2019t feel when they\u2019re jogging in nature or performing other activities that focus on personal performance instead of one\u2019s surroundings. Spending multiple days a month or year walking outdoors can less the mental and physical burden of loneliness, Norwegian researchers say (Getty Images\/iStock) \u201cWhen you see yourself as part of nature, you create a sense of belonging to a community,\u201d Sindre Johan Cottis Hoff, a research fellow in s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14477"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}