Green spaces good for mental health and well-being

India

healthysoch.com

New Delhi, August 22, 2019 ;

Living within 300m of urban green space such as parks, nature reserves or play areas is associated with greater happiness, sense of worth and life satisfaction, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Warwick, Newcastle University and the University of Sheffield and published in the August issue of Applied Geography.

The study applied new geospatial research techniques to create an accurate measure of the relationship between green space and the 3 different aspects of mental wellbeing (life satisfaction, worth, happiness). Survey responses from 25,518 participants in the UK government’s Annual Population Survey (APS) were combined with data on the shape, size and location of London’s 20,000 public green spaces. Researchers were able to more accurately model green space distribution in relation to where each of the 25,518 survey participants lived, and explore how that influenced their mental well-being as revealed in their survey answers.

Key findings of the study were:

●Overall there is a very strong relationship between the amount of green space around a person’s home and their feelings of life satisfaction, happiness and self-worth

●Green space within 300m of home had the greatest influence on mental wellbeing

●An increase of 1 hectare within 300m of residents was associated with an increase of 8 percentage points in a life satisfaction, 7 in worth and 5 in happiness.

●Green space was less important for mental wellbeing in Central London and East London