Key Takeaways
A large-scale study across 58 countries found that spending time in nature boosts self-compassion, which in turn leads to a more positive body image and greater life satisfaction—regardless of age, gender, or location.
Nature improves body image partly by shifting focus from appearance to experience, offering a rare break from the social comparisons and media messaging we’re exposed to daily.
The benefits go beyond body image: time outdoors has also been linked to reduced stress and anxiety, less rumination, and greater mindfulness—even in short doses.
When it comes to our health, even if we’re eating well, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep, there may still be something missing from our lives: spending time in nature. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend roughly 90% of our time indoors—which isn’t exactly a surprise, given that most people don’t work outside.
But even though it’s good for our physical and mental health, many of us don’t make spending time outdoors a priority. Now, a new study has given us one more reason to work it into your schedule. New research using data from 58 countries has found that spending time in nature can improve your body image and increase your self-compassion. Here’s what to know about that unexpected benefit.
The Connection Between Nature and Body Image
The new study, published in the journal Environmental International, included the largest survey of its kind, which asked more than 50,000 people between the ages of 18 and 99 from 58 countries about their experience with nature. The researchers determined that regardless of a person’s age, gender identity, or location, spending time in nature was associated with greater self-compassion, which in turn is associated with a more positive body image. Not only that, but having a more positive body image is associated with greater life satisfaction.
“The study isn’t suggesting nature changes the way our bodies look; it changes the way we think about ourselves,” says Clint Salo, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and medical director at The Grove Recovery Community. “When people spend time outdoors, they’re often less focused on appearance and more engaged in the experience around them. Those moments can make being kinder to yourself much easier, and over time, [help you] develop a healthier relationship with your body.”
Rod Mitchell, a psychologist and clinical director at Emotions Therapy Calgary, does walk-and-talk sessions in nature with his clients. This research supports his own observations: “I’ve seen in my own practice that when someone views their body as unattractive or unacceptable, they often judge themselves much harder than others do,” he says. “Nature is one of the few environments where nobody is judging us.” So what is it about nature that has this effect on us?
How Nature Influences Our Beliefs
“Nature helps facilitate compassionate self-responding by providing gentle stimuli that are engaging but not demanding, allowing the mind to wander in a calm and meditative fashion,” says Linda Dolin, MD, medical director of the Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center. “This mode of thinking has been shown to be more conducive to the experience of compassionate, mindful attention, allowing individuals to feel a greater sense of ease in their own bodies.”
Another possible explanation is that being in nature tends to draw an individual’s focus away from appearance and toward experience, says Carolina Estevez, PsyD, a psychologist at Soba, a treatment center in New Jersey. For example, when hiking through a forest trail or sitting next to a pond, you will most likely be focusing on what your body can do as opposed to how it appears, she notes.
“Additionally, being in nature may provide individuals with an escape from the constant comparisons we make about our physical appearance that occur in media and/or when using social media platforms,” Estevez says.
Time spent in nature also gives us a chance to mentally relax, as natural environments tend to require less goal-oriented activity and rapid switching between stimuli than urban environments, Dr. Dolin says. “Because these environments are less demanding on our attention, they allow for a greater sense of cognitive quiet that helps us feel relaxed and rested,” she explains. “This helps release tension and stress in the body, leading to an improved subjective experience of our embodiment and heightened awareness of positive sensations.”
Finally, people who spend some amount of time in a natural setting report experiencing awe: a psychological feeling that they are a component of something much bigger than themselves, says Dakari Quimby, PhD, clinical advisor of The Lakes Behavioral Health. “These feelings of awe can lead to decreased focus on perceived physical imperfections and improve feelings of self-acceptance and self-compassion,” he says.
Other Mental Health Benefits of Spending Time in Nature
Of course, improving your body image and self-compassion aren’t the only mental health benefits associated with time spent in nature.
“A multitude of research has demonstrated that exposure to green spaces has been linked to decreased levels of stress, reduced symptoms of anxiety/depression, enhanced ability to pay attention, and enhanced ability to regulate emotions,” Estevez says. “Even brief exposure to nature may cause an individual to feel calmer and more mentally refreshed, so it’s a great activity to add to your routine.” Additional benefits of spending time in nature include:
Decreases Rumination
Based on his clinical experience, Mitchell says that exposure to nature also has a very positive impact on rumination. “Spending time in nature appears to be effective at disrupting the types of self-criticism associated with many forms of anxiety and depression-related rumination,” he explains. “Simply paying attention to your surroundings for even just 10 minutes will have a much more profound effect than spending an hour outside checking your phone.”
Provides a Break From Comparison
We spend so much of our day looking at screens, ads, and social media that constantly remind us how we’re “supposed” to look. “Nature doesn’t ask anything from you,” Dr. Salo says. “It gives individuals the opportunity to appreciate what their bodies are capable of and step away from the pressure to constantly evaluate themselves.”
Stops Negative Thought Patterns
In addition to helping improve bodily self-compassion, spending time in nature helps individuals break out of the negative thought patterns that are a hallmark of depression and anxiety, Dr. Dolin says. “By allowing for a sense of immersion in the landscape, time spent in nature helps us disconnect ourselves from the constant, overwhelming stream of messaging we receive through social media and allows us to ground ourselves in the present moment,” she notes.
Promotes Mindfulness
Surrounding yourself with nature can also make you more mindful, Estevez says. “Individuals may develop awareness of their senses—the sounds of birds, the sensation of wind blowing on their skin, the scent of pine—which may potentially disrupt negative thought patterns such as self-criticism and rumination,” she says.
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