Nature Art on Mental Well–Being

            In the digital age, we are often tethered to our screens. Both our daily needs and tasks, as well as entertainment options, glue us to our devices. Health professionals often recommend taking time out of the day to go outdoors and soak in nature to improve mental and physical well-being. Of course, this advice is well-known to the general public. Internet expressions like “touch some grass” even try to encourage this behavior. However, hearing advice isn’t the same thing as acting on it. In fact, many people struggle to find the time to go outdoors. They may be too busy with work or studying, or perhaps addicted to the allure of online entertainment. In such predicaments, studies have begun to divulge other methods of attaining this environmental relief. Various studies have found that natural imagery and art can have a similar effect to being outdoors, although they do not replace actually venturing outside. Art isn’t solely decoration, rather, it´s also a tool to improve mood, reduce stress, and calm the mind. If you’ve ever taken a stroll in a hospital, for instance, you may recount observing countless canvases of natural scenes. The principle of lowering stress with natural imagery is at play there. Hospitals are high-stress locations, but so are many other educational spaces. Thus, the same tactics can be implemented in work and study spaces to improve mental well-being.

Contextual Information

            Stress is correlated with the body’s fight-or-flight mode. In tense conditions, it helps us survive. However, our daily lifestyles have evolved with our increasing dependence on technology. We no longer derive stress from direct physical survival. Spending long hours indoors and in close proximity with work and education, our stress levels have taken over.

            Common physiological symptoms of stress include increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and high blood pressure. The primary neurological component indicating stress level is oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb), responsible for transporting oxygen through red blood cells.  The finding that being in nature decreases stress was discovered by various studies which compared physiological symptoms related to stress in time spent outdoors versus indoors.

Different Visual Stimuli and Their Effects on Cognition Indoors

            A systematic review by three university researchers compiled the physiological effects of natural elements, or depictions of them, to determine the potential for nature to serve as therapy in indoor settings. Within the reviewed studies, correlational observation compared the effects of viewing different natural settings. Results were found through analyzing brain scans, blood pressure, heart rate, and other stress-related factors.

Various pieces of natural imagery and their cognitive effects:

            ● Forest landscape: Decreased stress-inducing activity in the brain and promoted relaxation

            ● Urban green landscape: Decreased overstimulated brain activity/stress

            ● Mixed natural landscape: The brain responded differently to urban and natural depictions

            ● Water presence: Reduced heart rate with restorative influences as compared to urban scenes

Physical nature and its cognitive effects:

            ● Green plants: Improved concentration, physical relaxation, and recovery time

            ● Flowers (compared to artificial flowers): Reduced oxy-Hb and nerve activity

            ● Wooden rooms (compared to non-wooden): Lowered blood pressure and heart rate

            ● Wooden material ratio: Increased numbers of wooden items in a room reduced blood pressure

            It is important to note that while having plants can be a viable stress-relief solution in personal study spaces, plants are hard to maintain on a large scale. Workspaces may not allow plants or have the capacity to care for them. There may also be plant allergy concerns. Here, imagery and art can be utilized instead.

Understanding Natural vs. Man-Made Scenes

            As seen above, not all types of photography and visual arts are conducive to the phenomenon of stress relief. A psychological study conducted by Yamashita et al. in 2021 compared health effects derived from natural and man-made scenery, focusing on changes in the prefrontal cortex. Thirty participants in their twenties from a university in Japan were recruited. Prior to the experiment, they were asked to get plenty of sleep, avoid caffeine, refrain from smoking, and do a workout two hours before the event. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two image viewing orders, city-to-nature and nature-to-city, viewing each for 3 minutes with a break in between. Following this, participants rated their moods based on a scale. Researchers then used technology to measure oxyhemoglobin and heart rate. The body must maintain a balanced level of oxyhemoglobin to prevent excessive stress responses. Using the scale and brain imaging, researchers found that images of nature increased comfort and relaxation as compared to city images. There was decreased activity in neurological areas causing anxiety and depression.

            This study was successful in maintaining consistency and controlling variables. The blind nature of the experiment prevented participants from responding with bias. The researchers noted that a limitation was that the duration of the images’ stress-reducing effects was unknown; however, by placing these images in spaces where individuals will be exposed to them for long periods of time, one can argue that the images’ stress-reducing benefits will last.

            The preference for natural imagery over man-made scenery can also be analyzed using schema. Man-made structures, and even human-modified landscapes, are associated with daily tasks. We may relate them to stressful or anxious emotions from work, school, or public interactions. On the other hand, nature feels largely uncontrollable to mankind. It’s like a free force that doesn’t come from human origins. Because of this, it creates a calming foundation that runs its course regardless of our daily social interactions. In our minds, it is categorized as separate from civilizational turmoil.

Conclusion

            Ultimately, it is highly beneficial to spend time outdoors. However, if you can’t do so frequently, a good solution is to keep indoor plants. If plant maintenance is difficult, try hanging a nature painting or a piece of natural photography on the wall. In spaces with high rates of stress, such as classrooms or offices, depictions of nature can boost mental well-being. Incorporating nature-related art and photography into public spaces can improve mental health for all.

References

American Psychological Association. (2024, October 21). Stress Effects on the Body. American Psychological Association; American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body

Jo, H., Song, C., & Miyazaki, Y. (2019). Physiological Benefits of Viewing Nature: A Systematic Review of Indoor Experiments. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(23), 4739. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16234739

Yamashita, R., Chen, C., Matsubara, T., Hagiwara, K., Inamura, M., Aga, K., Hirotsu, M., Seki, T., Takao, A., Nakagawa, E., Kobayashi, A., Fujii, Y., Hirata, K., Ikei, H., Miyazaki, Y., & Nakagawa, S. (2021). The Mood-Improving Effect of Viewing Images of Nature and Its Neural Substrate. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(10), 5500. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105500