Why do we benefit from immersion in nature?

Prior work from the University of Utah has shown enhancements in affect (emotional state) and cognitive control after nature exposure. This project explored the relationship between self-reported levels of affect, perceived restoration, and brain-based biomarkers of cognitive control associated with walking in nature and urban environments. The goal was to better understand why individuals benefit from nature immersion. Regression analyses of self-report and brain (EEG) data revealed that self-reported perceived restorativeness of an environment significantly predicts both changes in positive affect and ERN amplitude, an index of cognitive control, after a 40-minute walk, regardless of whether it's in a natural or urban area. In addition, individual differences in levels of connectedness to nature were not associated with any beneficial effects of nature exposure. This suggests that individuals do not need to feel connected to nature to receive benefits from it, and the more restorative an individual perceives an environment to be, the greater the benefits to affect and cognitive control.