4 Ways Time in Nature Extends Life

A recently published study reports that the more green space there is within 820 feet of your home, the longer you will live.  In this article, I review this study and the scientific evidence that nature extends life.  Armed with this information, I also share some real simple strategies that could not only add years to your life but more health and happiness as well.

Jeff's Experience

Jeff recently came to see me for a second opinion.  Jeff was struggling with a heart condition known as atrial fibrillation.

With atrial fibrillation, the heart is out of rhythm.  This causes a rapid and irregular pulse.  Not only does an out of rhythm heart make people feel poorly but it also increases their risk of stroke, heart failure, and dementia.

"How often do you get outside?" I asked.

"Rarely, if ever.  Between my work and family responsibilities, there just isn't any time," Jeff replied.

It was at that time that it suddenly hit me.  Jeff's life was completely out of rhythm from the way we were designed to live.  If his life was out of rhythm, how could we expect his heart to be in rhythm?

The Exposure to Nature and Risk of Death Study

In a recent study, Harvard University researchers wanted to understand the link between time in nature and risk of death.  To answer this question, researchers studied 108,630 nurses.

In order to estimate the impact of nature on longevity, researchers measured the amount of "greenery" surrounding their homes.  This was done based on satellite images looking for any green vegetation within 820 feet (250 m) and 0.8 miles of their homes (1250 m).

To put this study into perspective, most of these nurses lived in metropolitan areas in or around Boston.  As there were so many things that could throw off the results of a study like this, these Harvard researchers adjusted for other factors that are known to affect longevity like age, ethnicity, smoking, and socioeconomic status.

Findings of the Time in Nature and Longevity Study

After following these 108,630 nurses for 8 years, these researchers came up with some very interesting findings.  Below are the six key findings of this study:

1. People with the most green vegetation around their house had a 12% lower risk of dying during the study.

2. There was no difference in your survival advantage if the greenery was within 820 feet (250 m) or 0.8 miles (1,250 m) of your home.

3. Having "nature" near your home was associated with much a much lower cancer and lung disease risk.

4. Physically active nurses with a lot of green vegetation near their homes enjoyed the greatest life extending benefits.

5. Whether you lived inside or outside of a city didn't seem to affect longevity.

6. Having greenery near your home increased your chances of never being on an anti-depressant, exercising regularly, having more social connections, and breathing less polluted air.

4 Ways Time in Nature Extends Life

Based on the findings of this study, these Harvard researchers proposed four reasons why nature extends life. While I am confident there are many other reasons why nature extends life, below are the four ways they came up with:

1. Green vegetation makes us happy.

Depression is a well established cause of heart disease and a premature death.  Indeed, studies show that a history of depression can double your risk of a heart attack and an early death.

Quite remarkably, how much greenery was near your house also predicted whether or not you would ever need an antidepressant.  This finding raises the question that one potential cause of depression may be that modern life has us trying to live in a way that we were not designed to live.

Fortunately,