On days when you’re struggling with negative thoughts about your body, many different coping mechanisms can help. But new research suggests you should get outside and spend time in nature to soothe those feelings.

Negative body image is a risk factor for behaviors like disordered eating,1 which can have disastrous consequences for one’s body, mind, and relationships.2 Nowadays, it can be harder to avoid negative body thoughts when navigating social media.3

Because of all this, Viren Swami, PhD, professor of social psychology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England, views negative body image as a major public health concern worldwide. His research focuses on ways to promote body acceptance.

Most recently, he and colleagues found that spending more time in nature may support cognitive processes that help people bounce back when they’re plagued with negative thoughts about their bodies. The study was published in the journal Ecopsychology in early January.4

“I’m hopeful that the research I do—alongside the research that many other scholars are engaged in—will one day mean that our children grow up in societies where they are valued and cared for because of their competencies, rather than for what they look like,” Swami told Verywell via email.

Nature Can Help Us Cope
Being in natural environments—as opposed to built environments, like cities and highways—has repeatedly been linked to having a positive body image in previous research. Even seeing pictures of trees, mountains, and lakes may, at least temporarily, can calm negative self-talk about your appearance.5

To investigate how nature helps us feel better about our bodies, Swami and colleagues surveyed about 400 people on their body appreciation, exposure to nature, and “positive rational acceptance,” or how often they use strategies to help themselves feel better about their bodies.

Key Takeaways

• Spending time in nature may strengthen cognitive processes that help people cope when they are feeling negative about their body.
• Many factors, such as nature’s interaction with the brain and time away from technology may explain this finding.
• Ensuring everyone can access natural environments is crucial for supporting well-being.

Source
Sarah Simon
Very Well Health