The fact that a weekend camping trip could improve your mental health isn’t surprising. But a new study led by a Utah researcher found that just minutes in nature, even at a city park, could offer relief to those suffering with mental illness. 

Published in July in the journal “Ecopsychology,” the meta-analysis examined more than 40 studies involving adults diagnosed with mental illness who were exposed to nature for any amount of time and were evaluated afterward. Some of these studies had people in nature for weeks at a time. 

The study's lead author and a professor of social work at the University of Utah, Joanna Bettmann, found that just 10 minutes made a significant impact on the person’s mental health. 

The implications of the study could lead to more healthcare providers prescribing nature exposure to patients suffering from mental ailments from depression to Alzheimer’s. The idea is that nature exposure could be another tool in treatment alongside medication and therapy. 

And because nature exposure is accessible, affordable and doesn’t require the oversight of health care professionals, it could potentially lighten the load on overstrained health care systems across the country, the analysis states. 

One of the surprising finds of the analysis is that what people did in nature didn’t really matter. The benefits for mental health were more or less the same whether the adults were running, hiking or even sitting. 

The results also didn’t change substantially depending on where people went in nature. Researchers expected to find greater benefits when people were deep in the wilderness, but it turned out that a trip to a local city park had roughly the same effect on mental health as a mountain retreat. 

But access to parks in places like Salt Lake City don’t always come easily. For instance, people who live in Salt Lake’s east side have more access to trees and parks than their west side counterparts. Additionally, costs associated with winter activities might keep low-income Salt Lake residents inside, away from nature, during the snowy season. 

The analysis doesn’t address why nature has that outcome on someone’s mind. There are a few theories, though, that could explain why nature exposure can offer short-term mental health boosts. 

One is called the “biophilia hypothesis,” put forward by the biologist Edward Wilson. Basically, it’s the idea that humans are biologically predisposed to focus on and affiliate with the natural world. In simpler terms, nature is where humans have evolved and it’s where we thrive, thus it can serve as a healing refuge in our modern, all-too-online world. 

Another theory on why nature eases the mind is the “attention restoration theory.” This suggests that mental fatigue from busy urban environments can be addressed by spending time outdoors, looking at the natural world.