Page 52 - Tracy Anderson Magazine | Spring 2021 Issue

FORCES OF NA TURE

A breath of ecopsychology.

ponent to our liveliness. It’s the source of all the basic ele- “A WALK IN THE PARK
For our entire existence, nature has been a crucial com-
ments that fuel our survival. As it’s commonly said: “You HAS BEEN SHOWN
don’t know a good thing until it’s gone.” Nature has been
garnering more attention now that we have less of it. More TO REDUCE ACTIVATION
than 50 percent of people now live in urban areas, and
by 2050, it’s thought that this will reach 70 percent. This IN THE SUBGENUAL
mental diseases, many linked to the lack of green space. PREFRONTAL CORTEX,
urban move has been met with increases in physical and
start paying attention to the health benefits that nature THE PART OF THE BRAIN
It’s clear now more than ever how crucial it is that we
Opposite page: Caleb Fisher, courtesy unsplash.com. This page: Laura Saman, courtesy unsplash.com
provides. LINKED TO RUMINATING

First, let’s understand ecopsychology—how and why na- THOUGHTS AND
ture impacts our bodies and our brains. There are sev-
eral well-studied theories that attempt to explain our DEPRESSION.”
inclination to nature and its restorative effects. Biophilia
hypothesis (BET), developed in 1984, suggests that our
inclination to nature has a genetic basis and we are hard-
wired to feel an emotional draw toward nature. Therefore, view of a sunset, waves crashing, or a mountainous skyline
a lack of nature is discordant, and this manifests as disease is pleasurable to us, and as a result activates our opioid
in the body. While attention restoration theory (ART), receptors and decreases cortisol production. Green land-
proposed in 1980, suggests the way nature grabs our at- scapes, like a field, forest, or park, are thought to have an
tention, without requiring focus (unlike an urban setting, additional calming effect as the color green elicits feelings
which requires intense and conscious focus and alertness), of security and relaxation.
allows the directed-attention parts of our brain to restore
and replenish. The Japanese have studied shinrin-yoku (or Nature is a generous resource. Beyond the basic needs of
forest bathing), which describes how spending time in for- food and shelter, it has been shown to reduce anger, fear,
ests is linked to the production of anti-cancer proteins and and stress and boost our sense of meaningfulness and vi-
to a healthy heart and nervous system. Further theories tality. A walk in the neighborhood, the mountains, or by
suggest that vistas of mountains, the sea, or a field can the sea can make us more resilient to many diseases, boost
expand our perception of space, which soothes the brain our longevity, and also improve performance in our ev-
and reduces impulsive decision-making. eryday lives. However, nature not only improves us on a
personal level, it also fosters our feelings of connectedness
A walk in the park has been shown to reduce activation toward others, leading to heightened feelings of gratitude.
in the subgenual prefrontal cortex (sgPFC), the part of the In sum, nature restores our balance mentally and physi-
brain linked to ruminating thoughts and depression. A cally and shouldn’t be taken for granted. ■

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