Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Urbanization is linked to increased mental illness, potentially due to reduced nature exposure.
• Rumination, a pattern of self-referential thought, is associated with higher depression risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mechanism linking decreased nature experience to mental illness.
• To examine the effect of nature exposure on rumination and associated neural activity.

Main Methods:

• Healthy participants took 90-minute walks in either a natural or urban setting.
• Self-reported rumination levels and neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex (sgPFC) were measured.

Main Results:

• A nature walk significantly decreased self-reported rumination and sgPFC neural activity.
• An urban walk did not produce these changes in rumination or neural activity.
• The sgPFC is implicated in rumination and self-focused withdrawal.

Conclusions:

• Nature experience may improve mental well-being by reducing rumination.
• Accessible urban nature areas could be vital for public mental health in growing cities.