A walk in the park boosts your mood as much as Christmas, study finds
Scientists have long extolled the mental and physical benefits of immersing yourself in nature, but a new study has found a simple walk in the park can boost your mood as much as the arrival of Christmas.
Researchers at the University of Vermont analysed thousands of tweets posted in San Francisco for common 'happy' words' like 'sunshine'; and prevalent 'gloomy' words like 'traffic' which were then ranked on a scale of 1-10 – with one being the gloomiest and 10 the happiest.
They found tweets posted from one of San Francisco's 160 parks were more likely to include happy vocabulary than elsewhere in the city. In fact, these tweets achieved an average 'happiness' score of 6.43 – higher than Christmas Day when the average is 6.26.
The study published in People and Nature, the journal of the British Ecological Society, also found the mood-boosting effects of walking somewhere with 'extensive tree cover and vegetation' such as an urban park can last for up to four hours.
Researchers say their study was purely observational, but it seems to back up previous findings. Earlier this year, a University of Alabama study concluded that people who spend 20 minutes a day at their local park are happier than those who don't.
Meanwhile, in a separate study on the benefits of heading outdoors, Kings College London researchers found that exposure to trees, the sky and birdsong is proven to boost health and wellbeing — specifically with those who live in the city.
Surely the best excuse for a lunchtime stroll, wherever you live?
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