Psychology & Psychiatry

How do horticultural activities affect brain activation and emotion?

Research has confirmed that there are physical and mental benefits associated with performing horticultural activities, such as being in contact with soil and viewing plants. In addition, due to the rapidly increasing volume ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Gardening eased lockdown loneliness as pandemic paralyzed Britain

Therapeutic community gardening helped reduce loneliness as the pandemic paralyzed the nation, University of Essex research has revealed. A study that unfolded across three years of the COVID-19 crisis found that horticulture ...

Health

How parks and green spaces can improve your health

Parks and green spaces provide a variety of health benefits by promoting physical activity, connection to nature and opportunities for community engagement. Nature-based programs can even be prescribed by health care providers ...

Genetics

Love of nature is partially heritable, study of twins shows

A person's appreciation of nature and their tendency to visit natural spaces are heritable characteristics, according to a large-scale study of UK twins led by Chia-chen Chang at the National University of Singapore, publishing ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Connecting with urban nature in difficult times

Last spring, Julietta Sorensen Kass was busy planning a project that would see almost 3,000 visitors to the Halifax Public Gardens interacting with trees via text message.