Research Design Connection: Nature Time and Stress Levels
Hunter and colleagues investigated the amount of time that people need to spend “anywhere outside that, in the opinion of the participant, included a sufficiency of natural elements to feel like a nature interaction” to reduce their stress levels. The research team reports that over an 8-week period, “study participants are free to choose the time of day, duration, and the place of a NE [nature exposure]…urban dwellers were asked to have a NE, defined as spending time in an outdoor place that brings a sense of contact with nature, at least three times a week for a duration of 10 min or more…For salivary cortisol, an NE produced a 21.3%/hour drop…The efficiency of a nature pill…was greatest between 20 and 30 min, after which benefits continued to accrue, but at a reduced rate. For salivary alpha-amylase, there was a 28.1%/h drop…but only for participants that were [at] least active …
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