10 Scientifically Proven Reasons to Spend More Time Outside

Outdoor living areas are not just for entertaining guests or enjoying the occasional cookout; a multitude of studies have shown that spending time outside can actually improve your health, make you happier and enhance your overall well-being.

There is science behind our desire to connect with nature, but not all of us have time to schedule regular visits to our nearest national park or to spend afternoons hiking on nearby trails. Many of us recognize the need to spend time outdoors but cannot conveniently spend as much time in nature as we would like. This leads to the need to create inviting, functional outdoor living areas that allow us to spend more time outdoors whenever we happen to have time to step outside for a break from work or household tasks.

Outdoor Living: 10 Scientifically Proven Reasons to Spend More Time Outdoors

1. Reduce your risk for developing mental illness, such as depression.

The National Academy of Sciences published a study in 2015 showing that a 90-minute walk in a natural setting had a positive impact on mental health; whereas, a 90-minute walk in an urban setting did not provide the same results.

Technically, the team found that, “nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation,” which translates into layman’s terms to mean that participants who spent time in a natural setting reported reduced rumination (focusing on negative thoughts about yourself) and showed reduced activity in the prefrontal subgenual cortex (part of the brain). Higher neural activity in this area of the brain and rumination are both linked to an increased risk for mental illness, particularly depression.

This is just one study in a growing body of literature that supports spending time outdoors to improve mental health.

2. Improve attention and concentration.

A 2009 study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders found that children with attention deficits, namely ADHD, experienced improved attention performance after just 20 minutes in a park setting. The researchers note in the abstract that, “In the general population, attention is reliably enhanced after exposure to certain physical environments, particularly natural environments.” Based on this knowledge, the researchers looked at how natural environments might also assist children with ADHD by improving their attention span.

Based on their findings, the researchers determined that spending time in nature may be a “safe, inexpensive, widely accessible” way to manage ADHD symptoms.

3. Boost your creativity.

We all know that getting up from our desk to stretch our legs is good for our health and productivity, but a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition in 2014 shows that it also boosts our creativity.

The Stanford-based research team behind, “Give Your Ideas Some Legs: The Positive Effect of Walking and Creative Thinking,” performed four experiments to assess the effect of walking on creativity. All of the experiments showed increased creativity both during and after walking, including one experiment that showed an increase of 60% in creative output.

While this particular study did not find a significant different between walking indoors and walking outdoors, other studies show that an outdoor environment can positively affect creative output. For example, one study published in 2012 found that participants experienced a 50% increase in creativity after spending time in the wilderness and away from smartphones, computers, and tablets. While this study included spending four days in a natural setting away from technology, we can extrapolate that smaller amounts of time participating in non-technology-based activities outside can boost our creativity as well.

For folks who work from home, this shows the importance of getting out of your home office when you are feeling a bit less creative than you would like and might even be a good excuse to finally set up that outdoor office you have been considering. Even without a backyard office, you can still grab a notepad and head to your outdoor living room or patio to enjoy some fresh air while you brainstorm ideas for your report or project.

4. Enhance vitality and feel more energized.

A 2010 study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, “Vitalizing effect of being outdoors and in nature,” is just one of many studies that have found spending as little as 20 minutes outdoors increases vitality and can make you feel more energized.

This means that when you begin to feel the need for an afternoon nap, you might see greater benefits from simply getting out of the house and spending time reading, painting, or catching up with a friend on your patio.

Having well-designed outdoor living areas that allow you to easily spend time outdoors is a good way to make spending time outside more comfortable and convenient.

5. Stay active and sleep better as you age.

A 2008 study published in the Journal of Aging and Health found that seniors who spent more time outdoors at age 70 later reported less pain, fewer sleep problems and less decline in activities of daily living. Those who did not go outside daily at age 70 later reported poorer health and a need for more assistance in daily living activities.

This, as well as other studies, shows the importance of continuing to spend time outdoors as we age in order to experience better quality of life in our later years.

6. Increase your vitamin D intake.

Adequate levels of vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, have been repeatedly shown to stave off a variety of health concerns, including diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and other chronic illnesses. It is also important for bone health, proper immune system function, warding off infections and calcium absorption.

While some foods do provide vitamin D, sun exposure is generally believed to be the means by which most people increase their vitamin D levels and is generally considered the best way to boost your levels if your vitamin D is low.

In his published work, “Vitamin D: importance in the prevention of cancers, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis,” Michael F. Holick recommends moderate sun exposure that includes exposing the “hands, face and arms, or arms and legs to sunlight for a period equal to 25% of the time it would take to cause a light pinkness to the skin.”

In his article, “Vitamin D – One of the Simplest Solutions to Wide-Ranging Health Problems,” Dr. Joseph Mercola notes that research has shown increasing vitamin D3 levels “could prevent chronic diseases that claim nearly one million lives throughout the world each year.” He further states, “I firmly believe that appropriate sun exposure is the best way to optimize your vitamin D levels.”

7. Enjoy better air quality.

Most people spend the majority of their time indoors either at home, at school or at work. While most of us are acutely aware of the dangers of outdoor air pollution, far fewer are aware of the fact that indoor air quality can be worse than the air we breathe outdoors – even in urban areas. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has conducted studies that show indoor air pollution can be two to five times higher than outdoor air pollution.

The EPA notes that,

“While pollutant levels from individual sources may not pose a significant health risk by themselves, most homes have more than one source that contributes to indoor air pollution. There can be serious risk from the cumulative effects of these sources.”

These sources of indoor air pollution may include mold and mildew, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in paint and building materials, formaldehyde found in pressed wood furniture and paneling, tobacco smoke, pesticides, fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, gas stoves, asbestos, phthalates emitted from plastic goods and pets.

Spending more time in your outdoor living areas allows you to breathe fresher air while you work, spend time with family, partake in your favorite hobbies, or get in some physical activity by gardening or working out in your backyard gym.

8. Lower your blood pressure and reduce inflammation.

A Japanese study published in 2012 in the Journal of Cardiology found that elderly patients taken to the forest for a week of forest bathing showed a significant reduction in blood pressure, reduced inflammation and other improvements benefiting cardiovascular health. Forest bathing, known as shinrin-yoku in Japan, is a healing practice that involves spending time in nature and leisurely walking in the forest.

While many of us may not have time to fit regular camping trips into our schedule, we can spend more time in a natural setting by creating a backyard environment that is conducive to relaxation and connecting with nature. So plan trips to the forest as often as possible to help keep your heart healthy but, in the meantime, head outside to your outdoor living areas for fresh air, sunshine and a little bit of healing.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, you can also lower your blood pressure with moderate physical activity, including spending time in your garden raking, pulling weeds, pruning shrubs and completing other gardening tasks.

9. Lengthen your life.

Just from what you have already read, it is easy to see how spending more time outdoors can lengthen your life by lowering your blood pressure, increasing vitamin D levels and improving your sleep. We also know that folks who spend more time outside tend to exercise more, which can increase your lifespan and improve your health. But even beyond these obviously healthful benefits, it appears that simply spending time outdoors may be enough to lengthen your life.

A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health looked at the survival rate of more than 3,000 seniors over a five-year period and found that those who lived near walkable green spaces showed significantly higher survival rates when compared do those who did not. They concluded that living near walkable green spaces “positively influenced the longevity of urban senior citizens independent of their age, sex, marital status, baseline functional status, and socioeconomic status.”

Southern Californians living in urban settings with few parks or tree-lined streets can experience some of these benefits by creating green spaces they can enjoy right in their own backyards.

10. Encourage your children to care about nature.

“Getting back to the great outdoors,” published in the American Psychological Association’s Monitor, addresses several reasons we should be encouraging children to spend time outside. The article points to research supporting the idea that connecting with nature improves the psychological and physical health of children. It notes that children who spend time outside show improved concentration, increased creativity, reduced stress, enhanced social skills and more physical activity.

The article also points out that spending time outside in the presence of plants, birds and wildlife is integral in children developing an interest in nature and a desire to protect it. In order for children to care about the natural world, they must interact with it.

You can increase your children’s connection with nature by planting a garden with them, hosting a nature-based scavenger hunt, taking them on bird-watching adventures or, when time is more limited, simply spending time in your outdoor living room with a book or board game – rather than in your indoor living room with a tablet or television.

Outdoor Living: Ideas + Tips for Spending Time Outside

Now that you are thoroughly convinced that you and your family should start spending more time outdoors, here are seven previous posts filled with ideas for how you can get the most out of your outdoor living areas.