Nature immersion · Guided Hike

Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing

White MP, Alcock I, Grellier J, et al. · Scientific Reports, 2019

Using a nationally representative survey of 19,806 people in England, researchers examined whether the amount of recreational time spent in nature during the previous week was linked to self-reported health and well-being. Compared with people who had no nature contact that week, those who spent at least 120 minutes in nature were significantly more likely to report good health and high well-being. Benefits peaked at around 200 to 300 minutes a week, with no further gain beyond that. The pattern held across groups, including older adults and people with long-term health conditions, and it did not matter whether the time came from one long visit or several shorter ones. The key limitation is that this was a cross-sectional survey, so it shows an association, not that nature time caused better health.

Our summaries describe what each study found. They are not medical advice, and the practices at Halcyon are not a treatment for any condition.