A stay in the forest reduces stress measurably after just 20 minutes. In a study by MedUni Vienna, 66 adults were randomly assigned to two groups. One group spent 20 minutes in the Vienna Woods, the other in an urban environment without greenery. Before and after the stay, saliva samples were taken to determine the stress marker cortisol. In addition, a psychological survey was conducted, including recording the scale of positive and negative affect.
The evaluation of the data showed that the forest group exhibited a significant reduction in cortisol levels from about four to two nanograms per milliliter, while the city group showed no such effect. In the forest group, positive mood remained stable, whereas it decreased by about 25 percent in the city group. At the same time, negative affect in the forest fell by about twelve percent, indicating a noticeable relief of stressful emotions. In the urban group, mood remained largely unchanged, according to a MedUni press release on Wednesday.
Impulses for health prevention
“Our study in the Vienna Woods confirms that near-natural forest landscapes can make a measurable contribution to stress reduction and psychological well-being,” emphasized Daniela Haluza from the Center for Public Health at MedUni Vienna. In view of increasing psychological burdens, especially in urban areas, these findings could provide new impulses for prevention and health care, recommended the MedUni. It would be possible to more strongly integrate nature-based elements into urban planning or to issue targeted recommendations for stress-burdened population groups.
“We advocate that the preventive potential of nature contacts be more strongly embedded in public health care—whether through therapeutically accompanied forest stays or through health-related education,” said environmental physician Haluza. Further studies are planned to investigate which effects longer stays, different forest types, and seasonal changes have on psychological well-being. Multisensory nature experiences—such as forest scents or bird songs—are also increasingly coming into focus. The study was supported by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund and the FWF – Austrian Science Fund and was published in the journal Forests.
