For optimal health, eat your greens. For optimal brain function, live among them.
A new study from the Boston University School of Public Health indicates that increasing the amount of greenspace, or space with green vegetation, might be the key to improving cognitive function in middle-aged women.
What? How could green leaves help our brains work better?
Well, for one, exposure to greenspaces results in reduced risk for depression. This, in turn, reduces risk factors for dementia, a disease which throws a major speedbump into our brain’s cognitive processing. These findings support previous studies emphasizing the need for community gardens and parks due to their positive effect on mental health.
Plants, trees and flowers are soothing to look at, sure — but they also help us recover from psychological stress, and nudge us to spend time outside with loved ones. Adding greenspaces may be a great way to improve people’s lives on a larger scale, the study suggests, and in a way that asks less of people than other lifestyle interventions. (We’re looking at you, bikini body workout regimens.)
Like many studies, this one needs to be replicated among different populations and expanded. In fact, study authors’ next steps are to use Artificial Intelligence and Google Street View to better understand which types of greenery are most potent when it comes to improving our health.
For now, researchers hope their findings inspire urban planners and even policymakers to add more green spaces in everyday life.
The next time you feel the urge to yell at someone to get off your lawn — pause, then please don’t — she may just need a bit of nature for her brain’s health.