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Studies have shown time spent in nature does us all good. Specifically a recent study done with 1,200 people, published in the journal Environmental Health and Technology found that even just five minutes in a leafy park can significantly boost our mood. Well it might be because we inhaled some bacteria among the leaves and grass.
It’s called mycobacterium vaccae and research presented today at the 110th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology found that it might also increase an ability to learn.
Injecting this bacteria into mice has already been shown to increase serotonin levels and decrease anxiety. But the researchers wondered if it might have a subsequent effect on learning. They fed the bacteria to mice and then tested them in a maze.
And lo and behold these mice navigated the maze twice as fast as mice who received no bacteria.
But here’s a caveat: When they tested bacteria-fed mice three weeks after removing the single-cell organisms from their diet they found that these mice were still faster than the mice who never received the bacteria. The difference, however, was not significant. So the results are temporary.
Of course this is all in mice. Still, it might give a clue to why we get a boost in mood and clear thinking, when we just take a simple stroll through the woods.
—Christie Nicholson
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8 Comments
Add Commentand people laughed at me when I said I was sad and missed dirt. HA!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy mother in law is going to hate it, but it's yet another reason why infants and small children need to eat dirt.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this1) Immune system training to avoid asthma and assorted other allergy disorders.
2) Smarter kids.
What's not to love? :<D
Heh, except that so much dirt these days is contaminated with pollution and lawn chemicals... I guess some corporation could bill it as "dirt plus" and package it for kids to eat....
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlert parents (mostly dads) have known the benefits of allowing the kids to play in the mud for a long time. They just didn't know that the benefits was coming from a simple bacteria. Moms know the benefits too, they just don't want to get stuck cleaning the kids and the house up after the romp in the park, so some of them discourage it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou can actually see the difference in the children who are allowed to play in the mud from the children who are not allowed to play in the mud. Most of the children who are not allowed to play in the mud look like they just crawled out of the morgue.
My mom and dad has always told us children the benefits of running and playing in the woods. They said, "That is where you best ideas come from." I, and I encourage my child to, walk in the woods everyday...good ideas are still found there.
Even more reason to "remember to stop and smell the roses" .. and maybe smells some dirt too
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMaybe this bacteria could help the obese patient, get a boost in mood and decrease anxiety, both very good things for a person that eats a lot.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisnow i know y i love the smell of soil just after it has rained
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisStudies continue to show the powerfully positive effect of nature on mood, behavior and healing. It won't be a surprise to find it improves concentration and memory in humans as it does in mice. I've been writing about this for years, glad to see it's getting some attention.
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