What does one hour in the forest do to the brain?

An experiment in Berlin compares a walk in the forest with a walk along a busy street.

Earlier studies found that people who live close to nature differ in their brains. But are people who live near nature simply different, or does nature itself change something in us?

The study

63 healthy adults were randomly assigned to walk for one hour, either in the Grunewald forest in Berlin or along a busy shopping street. Before and after the walk, their brains were scanned with fMRI while they performed a task with fearful faces and a social stress task.

The findings

After the walk in the forest, activity in the amygdala decreased. After the walk in the city, it remained stable; it did not increase. Because the walks were randomly assigned, the study points to an effect of nature itself rather than of the people who choose it.

What this means for architecture

Even a short time in nature may relieve the brain’s stress centre. For cities, this means forest and green routes within walking distance. For buildings, it means paths and views that bring nature into everyday life.

Conclusion

One hour can make a difference. Nature does not have to be far away to do us good.