{"id":42961,"date":"2019-04-11T08:23:50","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T08:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?p=42961"},"modified":"2019-04-11T08:23:50","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T08:23:50","slug":"aesthetics-ones-environment-just-improves-life-going-green-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/science-environment\/aesthetics-ones-environment-just-improves-life-going-green-mental-health","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Aesthetics of environment improves life&#8217;: going green for mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>With so many people now living in cities and with mental illness on the rise, how does science make the case for more green space?<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_42991\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42991\" style=\"width: 625px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-42991 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/04\/DSC_0806-1-625x352.jpg\" alt=\"Being in parks is beneficial to mental health, studies say.\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42991\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-42991 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/04\/DSC_0806-1-625x352.jpg\" alt=\"Being in parks is beneficial to mental health, studies say.\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" \/><\/noscript> People enjoy a sunny afternoon out by the Secret Garden Cafe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>About 54.5% of the world\u2019s population live in cities (approximately 4 billion people), a number projected to rise to 60% by 2030 according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/development\/desa\/population\/publications\/pdf\/urbanization\/the_worlds_cities_in_2016_data_booklet.pdf\">United Nations\u2019 urban places study<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, almost 1 billion people reported having some kind of mental health issue or diagnosis (https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/mental-health).<\/p>\n<p>With more and more conversations around mental health, raising awareness and destigmatizing what it means to live with a mental illness, more and more research is dedicated to trying to help people coping with mental illness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a ton of scientific evidence out there that says that contact with nature is good for mental health,\u201d said Sam Vente, a PhD student at Cardiff University. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of interactions that just promote better mental health practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Multiple studies, including by the World Health Organisation, stress the importance of maintaining green spaces in urban areas helps to reduce anxiety and release stress.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.landscapeinstitute.org\/about\/\">The Landscape Institute<\/a>, a charity based out of London, released in a report to Public Health England that having green spaces help \u201cmake people feel comfortable and at ease, increasing social interaction and reducing antisocial behaviour, isolation and stress.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_42993\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42993\" style=\"width: 625px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-42993 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/04\/DSC_0814-625x352.jpg\" alt=\"Being in parks is beneficial to mental health, studies say.\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42993\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-42993 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/04\/DSC_0814-625x352.jpg\" alt=\"Being in parks is beneficial to mental health, studies say.\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" \/><\/noscript> Green spaces encourage physical activity for humans and their dog companions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Having green spaces nearby also encourages people to become more physically active.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen it\u2019s good weather outside, a nearby park encourages you to step outside and take a real break from work, whereas you might otherwise just eat at your desk,\u201d said Vente.<\/p>\n<p>Parks with lots of plants also help to extract carbon dioxide and other harmful chemicals released from cars, buildings and the like and release oxygen back into the air, helping to improve air quality.<\/p>\n<p>Green spaces have multiple positive impacts on mental and physical health, and many health experts believe that cities should ensure space for green places in the future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think making sure we have green spaces in urban areas is one of the most cost-effective ways you can stimulate mental wellbeing for people from all walks of life,\u201d said Vente.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_42996\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42996\" style=\"width: 625px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-42996 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/04\/DSC_0802-625x352.jpg\" alt=\"Being in parks is beneficial to mental health, studies say.\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42996\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-42996 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/04\/DSC_0802-625x352.jpg\" alt=\"Being in parks is beneficial to mental health, studies say.\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" \/><\/noscript> Bute Park&#8217;s National Arboretum boasts a large variety of trees for people to enjoy shade on a sunny summer day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Being in nature is scientifically proven to help improve mental health: do people in Cardiff think its important too?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":388,"featured_media":42997,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[330],"coauthors":[620],"class_list":["post-42961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-environment","tag-mental-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&#039;Aesthetics of environment improves life&#039;: going green for mental health - InterCardiff<\/title>\n<meta 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