Immersed in Nature: Recommendations for Mental Health Research

Abstract

With 81% of the population living in cities in the United States, urban populations growing worldwide, and well-being of these residents receiving greater attention, there has been increased demand for information about how our surrounding environment impacts mental health. Informed by research in environmental psychology and urban ecosystem services, our team launched a short-term, high-impact interdisciplinary project that engaged more than 10 researchers and 15 practitioners from urban planning and public health to explore the state-of-the-science and relationships between nature, mental health, and urban design. In this work, we engaged in two major activities: ● Constituted multi-institution, science and practice research network; and ● Reviewed literature on nature’s mental health impacts to identify strengths and weaknesses of existing evidence.