In our increasingly urbanized world, it turns that a little green can go a long way towards improving our health besides being pleasing to the eye. Geenery also contributes to the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of people.
Here is how it works: modern life with computing, commuting, environmental degradation can place a burden on our brains and bodies. In a study conducted by the American institutes for research, and elsewhere have compiled evidence that suggests that a connection to nature is vital to our psychological and physical health. They also found that regular exposure of school going children greenery can lead to better school behaviour, including improved relationship with peers.
Urban Drift
Urban environments with their traffic and hurried pace, cost of living are constant drain on our mental resources because we have to work to pay attention to a myriad of stimuli.
We harm animals by destroying their natural habitats, and eyen at times take them out of their natural habitats which adversely degrades them mentally and physically and even parenting skills decrease. Hostile behavior increases, and amusement activity stops. Similar symptoms can be seen in particular stressed Human’s.
Nature, on the other hand, is always kind to us. Even an un-conscious interest in natural phenomena appears to help improve our ability to pay attention and coping to stressful situations.
Scientists believe the improvement stems from natures ability to capture our attention involuntarily, giving the hard working over taxed part of our brain used to voluntarily focus our attention on more demanding tasks, a break, essentially allowing it to recharge.
Scientific study also say’s proper living in public housing have stressed lives, and not particularly better home circumstances, and mostly stuck in a bad situation.
The researchers found that, residents whose houses, or apartments were exposed to green spaces reported fewer aggressive conflicts, including domestic violence.
Scientific observations confirm, that greener areas also had lower crime rates, and more socializing between neighbours. Where there trees and other greenery outside buildings. Here people are using outdoor spaces more often, that results in actually people run into each other, and with more proper using the spaces, there are more eyes on the streets, which could deter crime.
Health or Benefits
Green spaces have a range or health benefits. One study of 80 to 85 olds conducting in Japan found that those with access to green space and a lower rate of mortality, even when socioeconomic status was taken into account.
Another study in the United Kingdom found that the health disparities normally seen between the wealthy and non-wealthy poor disappeared when access to green area’s was factored in. Research in (Indian polis U.S.) found that children in greener neighborhoods had a reduced risk of being overweight or obese.
The connections between green spaces and health could be applied to daily life/both at the individual and community levels.
Conclusion
Overall, the studies are suggestive that natural environments may have direct and positive impacts on well-being, but support the initiative for further research, that may find more links not yet discovered.
The writer is former Assistant Commissioner Revenue (J&K)