Prompt Cast
The Science-Backed Benefits of Getting Outdoors into Nature
TLDR Spending time in nature, including getting sunlight in your eyes early in the day and being near moving bodies of water, has been shown to have positive effects on mood, focus, alertness, sleep, metabolism, circadian rhythm, mental and physical health. Even though the specific variables that make nature beneficial are difficult to isolate, it is clear that getting outside into nature consistently has numerous positive health effects.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The benefits of getting outdoors into nature, including sunlight and grounding, are supported by numerous scientific studies.
03:03
Getting sunlight in your eyes early in the day is a science-supported tool that can improve mood, focus, alertness, and sleep, as well as have positive effects on metabolism, but it is important to actually go outside to get the full benefits.
05:50
Spending time near moving bodies of water has been shown to have positive health benefits, including potentially setting circadian rhythm and improving mental and physical health, although technologies like negative ionization machines have not been shown to have the same level of benefits as being outdoors near water.
08:46
Getting outside into nature for as little as 10 to 30 minutes, three to seven days per week, has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure, resting heart rate, improve sleep, and enhance mood.
11:35
The benefits of getting into nature are influenced by a multitude of variables, some of which are known, such as wildlife and sunlight, while others are unknown, like negative ionization and soil smells, making it difficult to isolate specific factors in a laboratory setting, but overall, getting out into nature has been consistently shown to have positive health effects.
14:24
While there is some evidence for the benefits of grounding, the science is not strong enough to draw firm conclusions about why it works or what specific variables are at play, but getting out into nature overall has numerous positive effects on mental and physical health.
17:04
The value of nature for mental and physical health is undeniable, but isolating the specific variables that make it beneficial is difficult and may never be fully understood, so the best approach is to simply get out into nature as often as possible.
19:48
The Huberman Lab podcast will continue with its current format and will fund research on human beings, specifically aimed at developing protocols for mental health, physical health, and performance, with the goal of providing information and support for research through all channels, including the premium channel.
Categories:
Health & Fitness
Science
