If you have a garden you probably don’t need anyone to tell you about the effect it can have on your wellbeing. But if you want more evidence of how having that little patch of land can benefit your health, here’s what two recent studies have to say about the matter.
The first study was carried out by the University of Exeter and the Royal Horticultural Society (you can read it in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning).
The researchers analysed information on almost 8,000 people collected by Natural England. They found those who spend time in their gardens are much more likely to say they’re in good health – both physically and mentally – and are more active than others who steer clear of gardens. You don’t have to do lots of gardening either. In fact the same benefits were found in people who simply went out in their garden to relax.
Meanwhile Princeton researchers have discovered that gardening is as good at boosting your emotional wellbeing as other activities such as biking or walking.
Also published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning, their study found the happiness benefits of gardening were similar across racial boundaries and between urban and rural areas.
The researchers also discovered home gardening was in the top five activities in terms of how meaningful an activity felt to people while they were doing it.
Need more proof of the benefits of back gardens? Read how gardening boosts body image.
Photo by 2sometravel on Unsplash
