Living Near A Forest Supports A Healthy Amygdala

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Summary: A study was conducted to examine the amygdala in people who lived in cities. The results show a correlation between where a person lives, either in a forest or city, and how healthy their amygdala is. People living in a city are likely to show signs of stress, anxiety and depression, however, this study found that city dwellers who live near a forest have healthier amygdala than those who don't live near a forest. These people are better prepared to handle the active lifestyle that a city demands. The most probable explanation for this is that nature has positive effects on one's brain and overall state of well-being.

This study is closely related to class content because it was just discussed how important the amygdala is when examining emotions. The amygdala is mostly related to negative emotions, which in this study would be the stress and anxiety that city dwellers felt from their everyday lives. This is an important find for people who live or work as psychologists in cities because they have another tool to add to their belt. City dwellers who have an unhealthy amygdala now know that removing themselves from the situation and spending time in a forest, may help them better cope with the busy lifestyle that is experienced when living in a city. This is also an important finding for parents when choosing where to raise their children. The city and the countryside both have their benefits, however, this study shows that people living in the city get the best of both worlds (as far as mental health) when living near a forest too.

http://neurosciencenews.com/forest-amygdala-health-7737/

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 14, 2017 at 8:23 PM

    I found this article very interesting. I know many people who retreat to a cabin or camp in the forest when they need to escape the stress of everyday life. Many people vacation and travel to places surrounded by nature when looking to relax. It is very interesting that science is able to give some explanation for this behavior by studying the amygdala. I wonder if retreating to nature to relieve stress can be a subconscious thought. I really like the points you made about how this information can benefit psychologists, city dwellers, and others.

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  2. Joey LamNovember 15, 2017 at 3:29 PM

    This finding makes a lot of sense because the receptors for anxiety-reducing drugs act on the amygdala. The healthier an amygdala is, the less stress or anxiety one will experience. The healthiness of one's amygdala can also influence one's likeliness of developing anxiety disorders and other phobias. Since the amygdala and the hippocampus work closely together, I wonder if there is also a correlation between how healthy a person's hippocampus is and the location a person lives in.

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  3. UnknownNovember 15, 2017 at 4:48 PM

    This topic is fascinating, especially since we see a lot of urbanization happening around us. Also, as we observe the ever-increasing trend of people relocating to cities, we can infer that people are almost running into a known stressor that could have damaging effects on their mental health. Nonetheless, this could be something that urban planners can apply to the cities and towns that they are about to design. As you have mentioned, an equal balance of city life and exposure to nature may result in having the best of both worlds in terms of having a healthy state of mental health.

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  4. UnknownNovember 16, 2017 at 7:35 PM

    I strongly stand with this! In city you have to deal with different types of people all day and then on top of that crazy drivers (ex:road rage). Patience can definitely get thrown out the window when you have somewhere to go and things keep coming in your way. In areas closer to the forest, they do not have worry about dealing with different types of people. They have a clear mind and be wholesome. This makes sense families make an effort to go campus at least once a year.

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  5. Madelyn Anderson FraleyNovember 16, 2017 at 8:34 PM

    As someone who grew up near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, I can attest to how calming and refreshing a mountain and forest environment is. It sounds like this study has picked up on a correlation between spending time in a forest and the brain’s ability to inhibit the amygdala’s natural tendency to want to feel negative emotions. Cities are loud and dirty, with everything smashed so closely together that it is hard to breathe, so it would probably be a good idea for people to get out of cities once in a while and let their brains 'reset.'

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