The use of environmental psychology and how it affects certain subjects has been a focus for researchers since our surroundings play a huge role on mood and our overall tranquility. The main goal of environmental treatment is to try and use nature as a way to influence behavior and our thought process. Research has been done about various aspects of nature, but specifically how green spaces and being alone in nature can boost cognition.
In Marc Berman’s writing on environmental neuroscience, he discusses how green spaces in nature can influence cognition and general mood. In the study they proved that these areas in nature did in fact have an influence on lowering the level of psychopathology while also increasing social interactions. In this case it is clear that our surroundings on a day to day basis play a crucial role in our mental health.
Recent publications have focused on the effect of nature on individuals since Covid-19 put a halt on our social interactions for a long period of time. During the peak time in the pandemic, we were forced to stay in a lockdown with no restaurants, movie theaters, or certain stores open to go to so our mental health decreased due to the drastic change in our day to day life. As students it also made it very challenging to even attend school with classes being taken from home with various distractions around us.
In a news article I found by CBS News, they discuss how the mental health of young children deteriorated due to spending so much time indoors during this period of isolation.They reported that just by spending some time outdoors can help reverse this issue, and allow for a feeling of normality. This study correlates to the article by Berman et al, due to the fact that the main focus of both articles was to prove that nature and green spaces can aid in bettering our mood and cognition. It is a prominent topic that has been getting more recognition since it’s proving to be a true help in helping the mental health of patients.
Link to CBS News article: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/nature-mental-health-stress-anxiety-city-kids/#app
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