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Spending time in nature, even briefly, triggers changes in the brain that calm stress, restore attention and quiet mental clutter, a new study has found.

Researchers at 麻豆传媒网站 and colleagues at Adolfo Ib谩帽ez University in Chile have examined more than 100 brain-imaging studies from various disciplines. The result is one of the most comprehensive reviews to date of how the brain responds to nature.

add neuroscientific weight to the emerging field of nature connectedness, which seeks to better understand how humans relate to the natural world, an experience long recognized across cultures as central to well-being.

鈥淲e know intuitively that nature feels good, but neuroscience gives us a language that lends credibility to shaping decisions about how nature is considered in health policy and the spaces we build,鈥� said co-lead author 惭补谤鈥疎蝉迟补谤别濒濒补蝉, a postdoctoral researcher in the Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, 麻豆传媒网站.

Four signs of a more settled brain

By synthesizing results from a wide range of studies, the researchers identified what they call a cascading pattern in how the brain responds to nature:

• Shift in sensory processing: Fractal patterns in nature are easier for the brain to process and require less mental effort than the fast-paced and visually dense stimuli found in cities or online.

• Stress systems settle: As sensory load eases, the body shifts out of fight-or-flight mode. Heart rate slows, breathing deepens and brain regions involved in threat detection, such as the amygdala, show reduced activity.

• Attention restores itself: With stress reduced, the task-driven attention used in everyday life gives way to a more restorative mode of attention guided by the environment.

• Mental rumination quiets: Brain networks linked to repetitive self-focused thinking become less active, supporting a calmer sense of self.

What counts as 鈥榖eing in nature鈥�?

Nature exposure exists along a spectrum, from time spent in parks or near water to full immersion in forests or waterfalls. It also extends to smaller encounters, such as keeping plants at home or looking at pictures of nature.

鈥淎s little as three minutes in a natural environment can lead to measurable changes, but more immersive, real-world experiences and longer exposure are generally associated with stronger and longer-lasting effects,鈥� Estarellas said.

Nature as a mental reset

With concerns mounting about excessive screen time, Estarellas said the findings suggest nature offers a kind of mental reset that a digital detox alone can鈥檛 provide.

The evidence also supports movements toward green urban design and 鈥渟ocial prescribing,鈥� where doctors recommend time in nature.

鈥淭here鈥檚 also a broader societal impact,鈥� said Estarellas. 鈥淩esearch shows people who feel more connected to nature tend to show more pro-environmental behaviour. Caring for nature and caring for ourselves aren鈥檛 separate, they reinforce each other.鈥�

About the study

鈥�鈥� by Constanza鈥疊aquedano and 惭补谤鈥疎蝉迟补谤别濒濒补蝉鈥痚t al., was published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. The study was supported by a grant from Mind & Life Institute.