Four Sciency Reasons Getting Outside is Fucking Good For You

If you’re the type of whiney little bitch who needs convincing that the great outdoors is goddamn magical, we’re here for you. Peeling yourself off the couch and rubbing the screen haze out of your eyes to step into the fresh air is extremely good for

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“I love Nature partly because she is not man, but a retreat from him. None of his institutions control or pervade her. There a different kind of right prevails. In her midst I can be glad with an entire gladness. if this world were all man, I could not stretch myself, I should lose all hope. He is constraint, she is freedom to me. He makes me wish for another world. She makes me content with this." — Henry David Thoreau’s journals

Damn right, Henry. If you’re the type of whiney little bitch who needs convincing that the great outdoors is goddamn magical, we’re here for you.

Peeling yourself off the couch and rubbing the screen haze out of your eyes to step into the fresh air is extremely good for you, believe it or not. And that’s not just according to pretentious outdoor enthusiasts who secretly love that you’re a lazy piece of shit because it makes them feel even more superior about their active lifestyle — but science says so, too. 

Here are four science-backed reasons why you should get the fuck outside. 

You’ll Be More Calm 

Are you an agro mess? Do you carry unspeakable rage around inside of you? Do you fantasize about beheading people who cut you off in traffic? A study published in the Archives of Psychiatric Nursing shows that being in nature chills you the fuck out by lowering your blood pressure, nervous system arousal and stress hormone levels.  

You’ll Be Smarter.

While our phones are rapidly transforming us into a bunch of dumbasses, nature can make us smarter. Or more focused, anyway. According to The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective by Cambridge University Press (1989), urban environments are constantly soliciting our attention, whether we realize it or not, called “hard fascination (ha!).” Natural environments solicit our attention while also drawing out feelings of pleasure, called “soft fascination.” This so-called soft fascination reduces the strain on our executive function and restores our ability to focus on shit that matters. 

You’ll Be Less Mentally Ill

Who isn’t mentally ill these days? Proximity to green space has been shown to lower stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression. And who doesn’t want to feel less depressed and anxious? A study conducted on people with diagnosed clinical depression assigned participants three treatments over four weeks: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based psychotherapy delivered in a forest environment, the same psychotherapy conducted in the hospital and usual management. Compared with the other two interventions, the forest activity significantly decreased depressive symptoms and significantly improved rates of clinical remission. 

You Might Live Longer 

It may come as a surprise to you that people who spend time outside are more physically active than those who don’t. They also have lower levels of chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, asthma, and overall mortality. That means they die less of preventable shit. How about that?

How much time in nature does one need to spend to reap these benefits? Two hours a week. Anything less than that, ya don’t get any of those benefits. What’s more, the impact of spending time in nature is consistent across income levels, employment status and degrees of health.

You don’t have to hike your tits off to get those benefits, either. The Japanese practice of forest bathing, or just sitting in nature, has been shown to increase physical and mental well-being. 

All of the reasons for getting outside are fucking great. But there’s more to it. Being in nature reminds us of the profundity of our insignificance. Life begins and it grows and it dies, everywhere and always. In the scheme of the mountains and ocean and the sky and dirt and grass and trees, we don’t mean fucking shit. We are living things among billions of living things. Through existing deeply in the shallow groove of time we are allotted, we can find a semblance of peace. So go take a damn walk, fucking jump in a lake, and touch some grass, bitch.  

Read More 

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams 

From forest trails in Korea to islands in Finland, to eucalyptus groves in California, Florence Williams investigates the science behind nature's positive effects on the brain. Delving into brand-new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and strengthen our relationships. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas —and the answers they yield — are more urgent than ever.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer 

As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Robin Wall Kimmerer embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings —asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass — offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices.

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Leaves of Grass is a timeless collection of poems and essays penned by influential nineteenth-century writer Walt Whitman. This profound compilation explores topics such as nature, mysticism, mortality, transcendentalism, and democracy. Inspired by personal experiences and observations, Whitman spent almost four decades piecing together the complete work, sharing societal ideals and epiphanies about life that still resonate with readers today.

Honouring High Places: The Mountain Life of Junko Tabei

Junko Tabei is the first woman to summit Mt. Everist. Honouring High Places is a compelling collection of highlights from Tabei's stirring life that she considered important, inspiring, and interesting to mountaineering culture. Until now, her works have been available only in Japanese, and RMB is honoured to be sharing these profound and moving stories with the English-speaking world for the first time.

Cache Lake Country: Or, Life in the North Woods by John J Rowlands

Over half a century ago, John Rowlands set out by canoe into the wilds of Canada to survey land for a timber company. After paddling alone for several days, he came upon "the lake of my boyhood dreams," which he named Cache Lake because there was stored the best that the north had to offer: timber for a cabin; fish, game, and berries to live on; and the peace and contentment he felt he could not live without. This is his story, containing both folklore and philosophy, with wisdom about the woods and the demand therein for inventiveness.