Flickr
Want to improve your mood, lessen your stress, and boost your health? Get some friends together and go for a nature walk. A recent study shows that one of the benefits of hiking is a better mood.
A recent study by researchers at the University of Michigan and three universities in the United Kingdom (De Montfort University, James Hutton Institute, and Edge Hill University) studied 1,991 people who participated in England’s Walking for Health program, which hosts nearly 3,000 group walks each week.
The results?
People who chose to walk with a group even once a week had less stress and more positive emotions than people who didn’t.
Short and frequent group walks seemed to be better at reducing stress and depression than longer occasional walks. For best results, researchers recommend taking group nature walks three times a week.
Senior author Sara L. Warber, M.D., associate professor at the University of Michigan, told reporters at the university:
We hear people say they feel better after a walk or going outside but there haven’t been many studies of this large size to support the conclusion that these behaviors actually improve your mental health and well-being.
Walkers who recently experienced the death of a loved one, a serious illness, unemployment, or divorce saw the greatest benefit from getting out in nature with others. Researchers found the walks resulted in participants saying they had significantly less depression and that the activity mitigated perceived stress and the negative effects of stressful life events.
Warber believes the developed world needs new ways to deal with mental ill health and physical inactivity. She sees the group walks as an inexpensive, accessible, important public health benefit, and possibly a way to deal with depression that doesn’t involve prescription antidepressants.
The research was originally published in a special edition of the journal Ecopsychology. About 70,000 people participate in England’s Walking for Health program.
Image credit: “Just hiking…” by Douglas Scortegagna on Flickr