Kayla Sawyer - Outside Reading #1

 While working on my research essay, I found an insightful article published by Stanford talking about natural vs. urban settings:

"The researchers found little difference in physiological conditions, but marked changes in the brain. Neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, a brain region active during rumination -- repetitive thought focused on negative emotions -- decreased among participants who walked in nature versus those who walked in an urban environment."

From this article, I came to the conclusion in my research paper that the recent spikes in mental illness could be somewhat impacted by rapid urbanization. It is possible that being in an urban setting allows for the brain to ruminate and spiral, leading to mental illness. 

"This finding is exciting because it demonstrates the impact of nature experience on an aspect of emotion regulation -- something that may help explain how nature makes us feel better."

I believe that for your mental health to improve, you must spend quality time outdoors. Most people spend their lives at their house or at an office job, but if they allowed themselves to spend an hour outside every day, they would be much happier.

https://news.stanford.edu/2015/06/30/hiking-mental-health-063015/


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