Study: you should stop to smell the roses — nature makes us happier

JUST two hours of “forest bathing” a week makes you happier and healthier, according to new research

Darwin resident Jarrod Cahir at George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens. Picture: KERI MEGELUS

JUST two hours of “forest bathing” a week makes you happier and healthier, according to new research.

A study by the University of Exeter found spending at least two hours a week in natural environments such as forests or fields was associated with good health and wellbeing,

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Darwin resident Jarrod Cahir at George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens. Picture: KERI MEGELUS

The findings come as no surprise to Territory nature enthusiast Jarrod Cahir.

“100 per cent it’s true,” he said. “I take up any excuse I can to get outside or into the bush.” The self-reported survey of 20,000 people showed the benefits were seen in participants of all ages, including those with long-term health issues, so the researchers say the result can’t be explained by healthier people visiting nature more often.

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They say the two hours could be in one hit, or spread over the week, and that those who spent three to five hours in nature every week didn’t get any additional wellbeing boost. They also found the benefits weren’t affected by the amount of neighbourhood green space near where the participants lived.