A new study found that a greener environment can keep people happier for longer durations reducing the risk of developing mental disorders, according to University of Exeter Medical School researchers.
Mental health disorders have been a growing concern over the last few decades. The number of people suffering from mental health issues has increased drastically and according to University of Exeter Medical School researchers, urbanization has a major role to play in this, revealed a press release.
More than 80 percent of the world's population lives in urban areas that are concretized and have eaten up green, open spaces. Though previous studies have linked a greener environment to happier people, this is the first study to look into how such an environment impacts a person's well being over time.
To track this development, researchers had more than hundred people living in the United Kingdom relocate from a grey urban setting to a greener one and vice versa. All participants' mental health status was checked frequently during the three-year study. Researchers noted that all participants who relocated from a grey urban setting to a greener one were happier in the three years of the study than the participants who went from a greener environment to a greyer one.
"We've shown that individuals who move to greener areas have significant and long-lasting improvements in mental health. These findings are important for urban planners thinking about introducing new green spaces to our towns and cities, suggesting they could provide long term and sustained benefits for local communities," explained lead researcher, Dr Ian Alcock.
"We needed to answer important questions about how the effects of green space vary over time. Do people experience a novelty effect, enjoying the new green area after the move, but with the novelty then wearing off? Or do they take time to realise the benefits of their new surroundings as they gradually get to know local parks? What we've found suggests that the mental health benefits of green space are not only immediate, but sustainable over long periods of time," Dr Mathew White, co-author of the study said.
The findings were documented in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
