Japanese forest baths (Shinrin Yoku) make us happy and we have the study that proves it

Admire nature, stop to smell the flowers, walk along a path surrounded by trees, listen to the song of the birds … all the practices described by the traditional Japanese Shinrin Yoku, and that we Westerners copy in our "forest baths", now has scientific support. The reason? That British researchers have proven that people who are able to spend part of their time enjoying nature are a 15% happier (in addition to being three times more likely to be eco-responsible).

This is what researchers from the National Trust and of the Derby University from the United Kingdom who asked a group of volunteers to take note of their lives. When comparing the responses of the volunteers who participated in the study, they discovered that 60% of people who felt their lives were worth spending at least four hours a week surrounded by nature. In addition, it was also discovered that adults were up to 15% happier if they were closely related to leisure activities developed in natural spaces.

These data reinforce what we already sensed: that contact with nature brings us much with very little, spatially to our mind. And it is not necessary to arrive at the four-hour weekly immersion of the study (although it would be the best).

As the coach states Ferrán Cases, author of Bye Bye Anxiety (Edaf) “Forest baths bring great benefits just by practicing them once a month. And on a smaller scale, nature walks, from 40 minutes Improves mood; it helps reduce the production of cortisol (the stress hormone) and improves rest. ” Having seen all this, ask yourself, how long have you not taken a walk in the woods?