# Why Nature Calms Us and How to Take Advantage of It
Few would disagree – just a few minutes among trees, in a meadow, or by a river and you feel different. Your shoulders drop, your breathing deepens, your thoughts slow down. This isn't just a romantic notion or a placebo effect. Behind why nature so reliably calms us lies decades of scientific research, stretching from Japanese forestry laboratories to European university clinics. And what's most interesting – the principles of this calming effect can be transferred even to big-city environments, where most of us spend the vast majority of our time.
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What is forest bathing and where did it come from
The term shinrin-yoku, literally "forest bathing", was introduced by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 1982. It was by no means an esoteric concept – it was a deliberate health strategy. Japan was then facing an epidemic of stress linked to overwork and urbanisation, and government institutions were looking for ways to support the population's mental health through cheap and accessible means. The forest proved to be an ideal "medicine."
Forest bathing doesn't mean athletic performance or hiking with a backpack. It's about slow, mindful time spent in a forest environment, during which a person engages all their senses – perceiving the scent of resin and damp soil, listening to birdsong and the rustle of wind in the canopy, touching tree bark, observing the play of light and shadow. It's not meditation in the classical sense, but it shares one fundamental element with it: full presence in the given moment. And it's precisely this combination of sensory experience and slowing down that triggers a cascade of physiological changes in the body that science can measure and describe.
Japanese researcher Qing Li, a professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo and author of the book Shinrin-Yoku: The Art and Science of Forest Bathing, spent more than two decades studying the effects of forest environments on human health. His work, published in journals such as Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, has repeatedly demonstrated that time spent in a forest lowers cortisol levels (the stress hormone), reduces blood pressure, slows heart rate, and boosts the activity of so-called NK cells – natural killer cells that play a key role in the immune system. Some of these effects persisted even a week after a single three-hour forest visit. These are numbers that would impress even the most sceptical physician.
But what exactly in the forest environment triggers these changes? One of the key factors is phytoncides – volatile organic compounds that trees and plants release into the air as part of their natural defence against pests and pathogens. Conifers, especially pine, cedar, and cypress, produce phytoncides in particularly high concentrations. When we inhale these substances, our bodies respond by strengthening the immune response. In his experiments, Li demonstrated that even merely diffusing essential oils from hinoki cypress in a hotel room led to increased NK cell activity in test subjects – nature thus acts partly on a biochemical level, through substances we don't even consciously perceive.
Additional mechanisms come into play as well. The theory of biophilia, developed by Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson, posits that humans have an evolutionarily encoded need for contact with nature, because for hundreds of thousands of years they lived in natural environments and their brains are still "wired" for them. Urban environments with their constant stream of stimuli – traffic noise, flickering screens, crowds of people – require so-called directed attention, which is exhausting. Nature, by contrast, offers what psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan from the University of Michigan called "fascination" – gentle, unobtrusive stimuli (the movement of leaves, the flow of water, the flight of a butterfly) that attract attention but don't deplete it. The brain thus rests without "shutting down" and restores its capacity for concentration and decision-making.
There is also the stress reduction theory, formulated by Roger Ulrich, a Swedish-American researcher in environmental psychology. Ulrich is famous for, among other things, a 1984 study published in the prestigious journal Science, in which he demonstrated that patients recovering from gallbladder surgery who had a view of trees from their hospital window recovered faster, needed fewer pain medications, and were discharged sooner than patients with a view of a brick wall. This study became one of the most cited pieces of evidence that visual contact with nature has a measurable impact on physical health.
When all these findings are brought together, a fairly clear picture emerges: nature doesn't calm us simply because it's "pretty" or because we get a break from work. It affects us on multiple levels simultaneously – chemically through phytoncides, neurologically by relieving attentional systems, psychologically through a sense of safety, and through an evolutionarily anchored affinity for natural environments. It's a complex, multi-layered mechanism that works even when we're unaware of it.
The practical question, however, is: how can all of this be put to use when you live in a block of flats on the outskirts of Prague, Brno, or Ostrava and the nearest forest is a half-hour bus ride away?
How to bring the power of nature into urban life
The good news is that you don't have to live in isolation in the middle of the Šumava mountains to benefit from contact with nature. Research shows that even relatively brief and undemanding forms of contact with greenery bring demonstrable benefits. A study published in 2019 in the journal Scientific Reports found that people who spent at least 120 minutes per week in a natural environment showed significantly higher levels of subjective health and well-being than those who spent no time in nature. It didn't matter whether it was one longer visit or several shorter ones – what mattered was the total volume of time.
One hundred and twenty minutes a week – that's just under twenty minutes a day. Almost anyone can find that much time, even in a densely built-up urban environment. You just need to look around a bit and start noticing nature where it already is – you may simply have been overlooking it.
City parks are the most obvious place to start. The point isn't just to walk through a park on the way home from work, but to consciously spend time in it – sit on a bench, close your eyes for a moment, and listen to what sounds the environment offers. Even a relatively small park with a few mature trees can create a microclimatic island where the air is cleaner, the temperature lower, and noise levels reduced. Moreover, many Czech cities have invested in revitalising green spaces in recent years – examples include Prague's Stromovka park, Brno's Lužánky, or Olomouc's Smetanovy sady.
But you don't have to look for nature in the city only in parks. Gardening and caring for houseplants are another way to bring nature closer. Studies from the Netherlands and Japan have repeatedly shown that even just thirty minutes of garden work lowers cortisol levels more effectively than thirty minutes of indoor reading. Don't have a garden? No problem – even balcony gardening or tending herbs on a windowsill represents a form of contact with living nature that reminds the brain of the environment where it feels at home.
An interesting concept that has been gaining ground in recent years in both urban planning and individual approaches to living is so-called biophilic design – the incorporation of natural elements into architecture and interior design. This can include green walls, natural materials such as wood and stone, water features, ample daylight, or even mere views of greenery. Offices designed according to biophilic design principles show, according to research by the company Human Spaces, up to 15% higher employee productivity and 6% greater creativity. That's a convincing argument even for those who see nature more as a backdrop than a necessity.
Another practical strategy for being more in nature even in the middle of the city lies in rethinking everyday routes and habits. Instead of the shortest route to work, try the one that goes through a park or along a river. Instead of lunch at the computer, grab a sandwich and eat it outside under a tree. Instead of scrolling social media before bed, take an evening walk and listen to the sounds of the night. These small changes require no special equipment, no admission fee, and no travel – just a conscious decision to give nature a little more space in everyday life.
Marcela from Liberec, a primary school teacher, described her experience in these words: "I started going to the park near the school for twenty minutes every morning before work. No hiking, no sports clothes – I just went there and looked at the trees. After three weeks, I realised that my stomach had stopped clenching when I got up in the morning." Her story is not unique and illustrates what research confirms: regularity and mindful presence are more important than the length or intensity of time spent in nature.
As Japanese professor Qing Li said: "The forest is like a therapist who never charges and is always available." That's the beauty of forest bathing – it's one of the few therapeutic methods that is free, has no side effects, and is accessible to virtually everyone.
It's worth noting that contact with nature is not just a matter of individual health, but also of a broader relationship with the environment. Research in environmental psychology suggests that people who spend more time in nature have a stronger emotional bond with it and are more willing to behave in an environmentally responsible way – they recycle waste, reduce consumption, and choose sustainable products. It's logical: it's hard to protect something you have no relationship with. In this sense, forest bathing is not just a wellness trend, but potentially also a path to a more sustainable way of life.
For those who want to invest in contact with nature through their home as well, inspiration can be found in choosing natural materials and eco-friendly household products – from cotton bed linen to wooden accessories to natural cosmetics. Each such item is a small reminder of the world outside the window and can function as a sensory anchor that reminds the brain of a natural environment even indoors.
The science behind forest bathing is robust and continues to grow. Every year, new studies emerge that confirm and expand upon what we have intuitively sensed since time immemorial – that people need nature just as much as nature needs us. You don't have to become a forest hermit or complete a certified shinrin-yoku course. Just step outside ten minutes earlier tomorrow morning, stop beneath the canopy of a linden tree, and simply breathe for a while. That tree is waiting for you.
