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Before people get too excited... I've examined a number of phds on this topic as a relative outsider to the field and have been pretty unimpressed by the claim

Before people get too excited... I've examined a number of phds on this topic as a relative outsider to the field and have been pretty unimpressed by the claims of env-psych on green/bluespace. The methods used to unpack confounding by class/wealth are pretty minimal and, although lip service is occasionally paid to this in discussions sections after reviewers require it, nobody in the field seems to take it seriously. The effects are an order of magnitude smaller than those of social class. The real story here is 'don't be poor' rather than 'get outdoors more'.

brohoolio 4y ago
I’ll say from my own experience getting out in nature calms me and makes me feel better. Maybe it’s just the exercise of walking, maybe it’s seeing the trees and feeling the wind. It’s a good idea for folks to try it out and see how it makes them feel.
giraffe_lady 4y ago
Aren't those substantially the same thing in modern cities? In my city the difference is clear and profound: wealthy white neighborhoods have grass and tree cover on all residential streets, and poor and minority neighborhoods are concrete and asphalt. On any similar metric you map the city by you see the same effects. Air pollution, noise level, and heat in the summer vary hugely by neighborhood but always follow this pattern.