Ecological grief: I mourn the loss of nature - it saved me from addiction

Press/Media: Research

Description

Guardian newspaper G2 article by Lucy Jones that mentions our OPENspace, University of Edinburgh research and links to one of our research publications

Period25 Feb 2020

Media contributions

1

Media contributions

  • TitleEffects of walking in nature on the brain
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletThe Guardian
    Media typePrint
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date25/02/20
    Descriptionthe relevant excerpt from Lucy Jones' article on 25th February 2020:
    "It turns out that these walks may have been affecting my brain in immediate and significant ways. Researchers in Edinburgh asked a group of people to walk from a busy urban space to a public park, or vice versa. Both groups started with a high stress response. What was interesting was how green space seemed to have a buffering effect on the stresses of the urban area. Those who started in green space and walked into a busy built-up space experienced an increase in alpha brainwaves – the electrical activity of the brain associated with relaxation. Nature seemed to undo the stress of the city, in the moment."
    The online version of the article links to a peer-reviewed research article that was produced as part of the Mobility, Mood and Place project (PI Catharine Ward Thompson) and we have since published another paper on the same research.
    Producer/AuthorLucy Jones
    PersonsCatharine Ward Thompson, Sara Tilley, Agnes Patuano, Richard Coyne, Neil Thin, Jenny Roe, Chris Neale, Steve Cinderby, Peter Aspinall, Panos Mavros