World Mental Health Day – Go Outside

World Mental Health Day – Go Outside

It is World Mental Health Day. For your mental health, go outside. Play nine holes of golf. Even better: Walk nine holes of golf.

Science says you should.

Studies have shown that being out of doors can dramatically life your spirits, improve mental clarity and boost overall well-being.

It makes sense, as we evolved as creatures in the out-of-doors. Our lives as indoor beings, under artificial lights in constructed enviroments is somethign tha thas occurred only in recent human history. This is a concept known as biophilia, coined by Harvard Dr. Edward Wilson.

From Psychology Today:

Time spent in green spaces, for instance, is associated with lower levels of stress, improved memory, and heightened creativity. Symptoms of ADHD and depression can decrease for children and adults as outdoor time increases. The benefits of green time may be physical, as well: One study concluded that a microbe found in soil may improve the body’s immune response.

Evidence shows that exposure to natural environments can reduce stress levels. Cortisol — the stress hormone — significantly decreases after spending time in nature. Some evidence suggests that even looking at pictures of nature reduces cortisol levels.

A study by Stanford researchers found that people who walk for 90 minutes in a natural area (as opposed to urban settings) “showed decreased activity in a region of the brain associated with a key factor in depression.”

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.                                                                                    

“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,” said lead author Gregory Bratman, a graduate student in Stanford’s Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, the Stanford Psychophysiology Lab and the Center for Conservation Biology.

“These findings are important because they are consistent with, but do not yet prove, a causal link between increasing urbanization and increased rates of mental illness,” said co-author James Gross, a professor of psychology at Stanford.

Nine holes of golf typically (ideally?) take ninety minutes.

I know I feel much better after walking at least nine holes.

Being outdoors (on a golf course) also exposes us to sunlight, which boosts seratonin, a key hormone in stabilizing mood and promoting feelings of happiness.

Michael Holick in a 2018 study, found

Exposure to sunlight also provides other healthful benefits including the production of beta endorphin, which provides the feeling of being well, and nitric oxide, which helps to reduce blood pressure. 

I’m going to spend the day on my own mental health – playing golf.