Green and happy

When you think of going somewhere that will feed your mind and soul, where do you think of going? Is it to a shopping centre or perhaps a paved courtyard surrounded by high-rise apartment buildings? More than likely you are shaking your head (at least metaphorically) because most of us associate trees, birds, grass, bushes and nature with our relaxation. Man-made structures might be functional on one level but on another, more profound and primal level, they don’t satisfy us. To make our buildings more pleasing what do we do? We make them less like buildings; we introduce nature or principles of nature wherever possible. This is not just whimsy because it has been shown that green spaces do positively impact your state of mind and now research shows that effect can last for years.

The study comes from researchers who last year published findings showing that green spaces in cities have positive effects on mental wellbeing. The new study is significant because it is one of the few that have followed a big group of people over a long period of time.

The subjects of the study were more than 1,000 people taking part on the British Household Panel Survey. The people were followed for five years and were chosen as people who were moving house, either to an area in a city with lots of green space such as parks or to a less “green” city environment.

The results showed that even after adjusting for personality type, income, and social status people moving to greener areas experienced an immediate lift in wellbeing that lasted for at least three years. By contrast, people moving to less green areas showed a drop in levels of wellbeing prior to moving although wellbeing levels returned to normal after they had actually moved in. So in the long run people do adapt to lack of green space but the presence of green space does have a positive effect that is long-lasting.

If you know a city-planner, you might want to give them a packet of grass seeds and few forget-me-nots.