The University of Birmingham found that city parks are great for emotional and mental well-being. Walking in a city park for 20 minutes will make you feel happier, they said.
“We found that park visitors reported an improvement in emotional well-being after walking, but we did not get any data showing that levels of physical activity were associated with improved emotional well-being,” said lead author Hon K. Yuen. A related article was published in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research.
Research indicates that parks are key elements of urban environments, providing residents with opportunities to enjoy nature and be physically active. Getting closer to nature, health, social and recreational activities in parks can significantly reduce stress levels and recover from mental activity.
Scientists collected their data in three main parks in Mountain Brook, Alabama, which are visited by many people every day. The study involved 94 people. After the walk, they filled out a special questionnaire and handed the scientists a special device, which all this time monitored their physical indicators. The best results were reported by those participants who walked in the park for 20 to 25 minutes. At the same time, the level of emotional well-being of the participants, which they assessed on their own, increased by about 64 percent on average. As a result of the analysis of all the data obtained, the scientists came to the conclusion that being in the park, you do not have to play sports or do other exercises to feel happy. Consequently, the effect also extends to people with physical limitations and disabilities.
Ewen says the study definitely has its limitations: both the lack of objective data, since participants themselves reported their well-being and emotional well-being, and the limited scope of the study, both in terms of the number of participants and geographic distribution. Nevertheless, he said, the results indicate the need to create more urban parks and support those that already exist.
“The pressure on green spaces is increasing in cities: planners and developers are seeking to build up residential and commercial real estate in parks, and therefore the problem facing cities is to try to preserve as many of these important spaces as possible,” the scientists emphasize.
Dmitry Mazalev