The Mental Fatigue/Aggression/Nature Connection

Some studies that speak to the unity of humans and nature focus on issues of aggression and violence. And in my mind, those that are particularly important are the ones that suggest that anger and aggression decrease when we spend time in nature (see my post about blood pressure and nature walks).

For example, some researchers bring attention to links between increased human aggression and violence with noise, crowding, and high temperatures.

And Stephen Kaplan found that people whose directed attention is fatigued become irritable and often seek to be alone. (Kaplan, along with some other researchers, believes that nature requires a different type of attention than human-built environments, leading it to play a restorative function for human attention.)

Study in inner-city Chicago

One study found a connection between a lack of exposure to natural settings and aggression/violence amongst inner-city Chicago residents living in poverty.

A hallmark of many impoverished, inner-city neighbourhoods in North America is that they tend not to have as many parks and green spaces as richer neighbourhoods. And the thing about green spaces, even in cities, is that they can help to reduce mental fatigue (see my post about how even window views of nature can help).

The researchers, Frances Kuo and William Sullivan, believe that the ongoing stress associated with poverty and the pervasive risks of crime and unpredictable violence for those living in poverty-stricken neighbourhoods contribute to heightened levels of mental fatigue, since residents are constantly on guard for signs of trouble.

They worked with residents living in several public housing apartments. The living spaces themselves were similar, but some had access to trees and grass immediately outside their building while others opened onto barren lands or concrete.

And Kuo and Sullivan found significantly lower levels of intrafamily violence when those families had access to trees and grass outside their apartment building!

The bottom line

The researchers warn against over-generalizing their research and urge caution in extrapolating their results to other settings.

However, I can’t help but draw parallels between people living in poverty in inner-city neighbourhoods and soldiers’ experiences during combat, since soldiers are also under constant stress, vigilant for signs of danger and/or situations of concern, and also often lack access to restorative settings.

Other parallels that come to mind are refugee camps and other communities affected by violence, where people are constantly stressed by their life situation.

And if something that seems so minor – a few trees and grass outside a building – makes a significant difference in decreasing levels of violence, we need to pay more attention to this! Remember, too, the ways that when children play together in green play spaces, they are more creative, cooperative, and collaborative (Why isn’t every schoolyard green?).

I’m not saying that access to nature is the solution to all problems of violence in our world, but for now, it seems like a start...

References:

Hartig, Terry. (2003). Guest editors’ introduction: Restorative environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23, 103-107.

Kaplan, Stephen. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15(3), 169-182.

Kuo, Frances E. and Sullivan, William C. (2001). Aggression and violence in the inner city: Effects of environment via mental fatigue. Environment and Behavior, 33, 543-571.

Gardens Make Scents!

Interacting with plants is a powerful method for re-awakening and stimulating our senses, through fragrance, colour, texture, taste, and sound, says horticulture therapist Elizabeth Messer Diehl. 

This is something I've been watching as my son grows and interacts with our home garden.  At first, he was interested only in digging in the soil, perhaps feeling the plants' leaves, or bending over to smell a flower. 

By about 18 months, he also began to make connections between the zucchinis, pumpkins, and snap peas growing in our garden and the food he ate. He would climb into the raised bed to pick the few end-of-season peas, which he would then bring to me or my husband (or grandma) for help with eating. And this past summer, the first thing he'd offer to visiting playmates was a bite of dill. Actually, I'm pretty sure that every plant in my garden had a bite or two taken out of it! 

But now for more on the research...

The power of scent
Landscape designer C. Colston Burrell suggests that scent is perhaps the most powerful aspect in a garden. While fragrances’ effects on human beings are not fully understood, they are known to have psychological, physiological, and neurological benefits, and even to change hormone production and brain chemistry (recall my previous post about getting high in the forest!). In fact, this is the premise behind aromatherapy as part of alternative or complimentary medicine practices. 

Some scientists believe that the capacity of fragrances to affect us derives from the way that our nasal passage is directly connected to our brain’s centre for emotions and memory. Even at undetectable levels, odours have been found to influence the central nervous system. 

In their research on cut flower arrangements and lavender fragrance, for example, Liu, Kim and Mattson found that sight and smell played important roles in reducing stress and producing positive emotional responses in college students. 

In addition, Elizabeth Messer Diehl reflects on the power of particular scents to “stimulate bodily organs to release neurochemicals that help eliminate pain, induce sleep, and create a sense of well-being” (p. 170). Remember, too, my post about how healing gardens are helping victim of torture and their caregivers.

The bottom line
The ways that a garden can completely engage our human experience has physical, emotional, and cognitive benefits. 

As we embrace this experience in the garden, it becomes possible to connect even more deeply to our surrounding -- thus further enhancing and bringing forth the healing properties of nature in our lives.

References

Burrell, C. Colston. (2000). Plants with power: The good scents and benefits of using plants. Landscape Architecture, 90(1), 18-19.

Liu, Mingwang, Kim, Eunhee, and Mattson, Richard. (2003). Physiological and emotional influences of cut flower arrangements and lavender fragrance on university students. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture, 14, 18-27.

Messer Diehl, Elizabeth R. (2009). Gardens that heal. In L. Buzzell and C. Chalquist (Eds). Ecotherapy: Healing with nature in mind (pp. 166-173). San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.

Wilderness Therapy

Throughout the twentieth century there have been anecdotal accounts of the benefits of ‘camping therapy’ in North America. Indeed, wilderness therapy is gaining increased attention as an approach that involves a combination of cognitive therapy and/or humanistic therapy approaches within a nature setting (i.e., typically far away from urban contexts).

Towards the end of the twentieth century, there were more than 700 wilderness experience programs in the United States alone and those programs specifically designed as wilderness therapeutic interventions numbered somewhere from 60-100. 

Overall findings

The major studies in wilderness therapy tend to report improved self-esteem and personal development as well as interpersonal development and enhanced social skills. Many wilderness therapy programs have concentrated on treating adolescents living in psychiatric environments as well as those with emotional and/or substance abuse problems. These programs report significant increases in participants’ self-esteem as well as improvements in delinquent behaviour. 

Does the length of time matter?

In ecopsychologist Robert Greenway’s twenty-two years of running a wilderness therapy training program at Sonoma State University, he has become a deep believer in the power of nature to facilitate changed psychological processes. In his experience, a wilderness encounter needs to last ten or more days in order to promote meaningful and lasting change.

However, other researchers suggest that even experiences of a shorter duration are worthwhile. David Cole and Troy Hall recently conducted a study to examine whether the amount of time spent in a wilderness environment was important to individuals’ experience of restoration as well as whether the number of people encountered along a trail affected hikers’ experiences. They found that no matter the trail congestion or the length of time, most participants reported feeling reduced stress as well as mentally refreshed. And they conclude that the restorative effects of spending time in nature can occur in a relatively short amount of time, and whether one is alone or in the company of others.

References

Cole, David N. and Hall, Troy E. (2010). Experiencing the restorative components of wilderness environments: does congestion interfere and does length of exposure matter? Environment and Behavior, 42(6), 806-823.

Davis-Berman, Jennifer and Berman, Dene S. (1989). The wilderness therapy program: An empirical study of its effects with adolescents in an outpatient setting. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy 19(4), 271-281.

Greenway, Robert. (2009). The wilderness experience as therapy: We’ve been here before. In L. Buzzell and C. Chalquist (Eds). Ecotherapy: Healing with nature in mind (pp. 132-139). San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.

Russell, Keith C. (2006). Brat camp, boot camp, or ........? Exploring wilderness therapy program theory. Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning, 6(1), 51-67.

Russell, Keith C., and Farnum, Jen. (2007). A concurrent model of the wilderness therapy process. Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning, 4(1), 39-55.