Street Greenery and Mental Health
A recent study covered in Landscape and Urban Planning revealed that people are less depressed and experience better mental health in the presence of nature or “street greenery” when living in cities.
Researchers looked at a variety of data from 2009 and 2010 and found that there were fewer antidepressant prescriptions filled in areas that had a lot of trees and other natural elements.
Does nature alone offer antidepressant benefits?
Sergio Andrade Gutierrez would say that the color green and nature automatically creates within humans feelings of calm and mental clarity. Additionally, humans might feel trapped away from nature because of inherited memory. Our ancestors didn’t live inside of boxed houses and apartments. They spent the majority of their time outdoors.
Yet, there are many depressed people living in poorer rural areas where there is an abundance of nature. After all, the researchers found that more wealthy and healthier people in cities lived near greenery, while poorer and more depressed people had less exposure to nature.
Additionally, some critics of the study wonder if perhaps the reason “street greenery” has such a high impact on mental health in cities is because without it people see more depressing and muted colors in building and street construction, such as gray and black. In nature, they would see more vibrant and jeweled colors. Perhaps it is the variation and the intensity of a bright color that helps?