Why Nature Is Essential to Human Flourishing

Part One: Calming the Mind and Changing Our Perspective

The idea that nature can support our physical and psychological well-being is hardly new. The Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, has been part of the mainstream wellness conversation for years, and many of us instinctively recognize the relief that comes from stepping outdoors when life feels crowded by deadlines, screens, noise, and worry. Yet the daily life of work, school, caregiving, and other responsibilities leave limited free time, screen-based entertainment encourages us to remain indoors, and the costs associated with transportation, equipment, and park fees can make being outdoors inaccessible for many people. But the best part about the research I came across when writing this article is that the benefits of nature don’t require a weekend trek through the mountains. A walk through a tree-lined park, a few quiet moments in a garden, or even just the sight of greenery through a window can help us slow down and regain perspective (Pretty, 2004).

This article is the first in a three-part series for Invested where I will explore the relationship between nature and human flourishing. This first instalment looks at what happens within us when we encounter the natural world. Next month, I will consider the many ways people can build a more intentional relationship with nature, and the final article will broaden the discussion to our communities, examining why green space should be treated as essential public infrastructure and how nature-based design can support healthier, more resilient cities.

Giving the Mind a Break

Every day we concentrate on work, try to filter out distractions, process notifications, move between competing demands, and attempt to remain productive despite constant interruptions. Even though this form of attention is useful in order to juggle these necessary life tasks, it is also finite and leads to burnout. Over time, continuously directing and redirecting our focus can contribute to mental fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.

Attention restoration theory offers one explanation for why natural environments can feel so refreshing. It proposes that nature engages us through what researchers call “soft fascination.” It is when things like moving clouds, rustling leaves, flowing water, shifting light, or birdsong, hold our interest without demanding strenuous concentration or output. Instead, the mind can focus on something and enjoy it but not have to perform any tasks. This “soft fascination” may allow the mental resources used for concentration and decision-making to recover. Additionally, stress reduction theory offers a complementary explanation by suggesting that certain natural environments may produce an automatic calming response that lowers physiological arousal and reduces negative emotions (Bratman, et al., 2012).

Together, these theories help explain why time in nature can leave us feeling both calmer and mentally refreshed. Research reviewed by Bratman and colleagues (2012) connects experiences in nature with improvements in attention, memory, mood, impulse control, and recovery from stress. It has also been linked to better attention, memory, creativity, sleep, and school performance. Experimental studies have also found that people exposed to natural scenes recovered from stressful experiences more quickly than those exposed primarily to urban environments (Bratman et al., 2012).

Along with these benefits associated with better cognitive functioning, experiencing nature has also been associated with reports of increased mental wellbeing, positive emotions, happiness, social connection, and a stronger sense of meaning, as well as lower levels of stress and psychological distress. So, while the emails, obligations and tasks will still be there when we step back into our busy lives, that time spent in nature was an opportunity for the mind to briefly step out of performance mode and be able to experience interest without pressure of producing a result (Bratman et al., 2019).

A Different Model of Beauty

Nature may also support well-being by changing how we perceive ourselves. There was a recent major international study highlighted by The Washington Post that examined survey responses from more than 50,000 people across 58 countries. Researchers found that contact with nature was associated with greater body appreciation and life satisfaction through feelings of psychological restoration and increased self-compassion (Abramson, 2026).

This may be especially meaningful as we have become saturated with idealized images, appearance-based judgements, and carefully curated versions of other people’s lives. Natural environments offer a profoundly different model of beauty because it is one that includes variation, irregularity, ageing, growth, damage, repair, and continual change. And spending time in these natural environments may create distance from social comparison and offer a reprieve from the expectation that everything, including ourselves, must be optimized, or improved (Abramson, 2026).

Encountering Something Larger Than Ourselves

Nature can also inspire awe and the feeling that we are encountering and connecting with something larger than ourselves. It can arise while standing beneath an old tree, looking across a mountain range, or watching a storm move through the sky and we realize we are part of something more complex than our immediate concerns. And while this shift in scale doesn’t make our personal problems or day-to-day stressors disappear, it can reduce the sense that those problems occupy our entire world. As The Washington Post reports, feeling connected to a much larger system of life may help everyday worries feel more manageable (Abramson, 2026).

This is similar to the change in perspective explored in my article from April, about why people felt such a sense of hope and optimism when NASA’s Artemis mission was taking place. Seeing ourselves within something larger can momentarily loosen the grip of our immediate concerns as our relationship to them changes. We are reminded that our current stress, however consuming it feels, exists within a world that continues to grow, move, adapt, and renew itself.

Learning to Notice

The potential benefits of spending time in nature seem to far outweigh the modest effort required to take a walk through a park, but how we take that walk is just as important as taking it at all. Many of us move through green spaces distracted by our phones or rushing toward our next destination. Simply being outdoors is valuable, but the quality of our attention may shape how deeply we experience its restorative effects.

Next month in Part Two, I will explore the different ways we connect with the natural world and how practices that encourage curiosity, attention, and participation can help us experience its benefits more fully.

Bibliography

Abramson, A. (2026, June 5). The surprising science-backed reason being in nature makes you feel good. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2026/06/05/surprising-science-backed-reason-being-nature-makes-you-feel-good/

Bratman, G. N., Anderson, C. B., Berman, M. G., Cochran, B., de Vries, S., Flanders, J., Folke, C., Frumkin, H., Gross, J. J., Hartig, T., Kahn, P. H., Jr., Kuo, M., Lawler, J. J., Levin, P. S., Lindahl, T., Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Mitchell, R., Ouyang, Z., Roe, J., . . . Daily, G. C. (2019). Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective. Science Advances, 5(7), Article eaax0903. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax0903

Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., & Daily, G. C. (2012). The impacts of nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1249(1), 118–136. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06400.x

Pretty, J. (2004). How nature contributes to mental and physical health. Spirituality and Health International, 5(2), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1002/shi.220