Got Pain? Look at Nature! 🌿
Welcome back to Make It Happen Monday, your weekly dose of insight and action from the Healthy Living School!
If you're in pain, nature may be the best-kept secret to relief! A fascinating new study published in Nature Communications suggests that simply looking at nature—even from a screen—can significantly reduce pain.
In this clinical trial, researchers took healthy study participants and exposed them to electric shocks to induce transient pain.
While experiencing the painful stimulus, participants watched three different video scenes: an urban environment, an indoor setting, and a natural landscape. Throughout the experiment, they rated their pain levels, and their brain activity was monitored using functional MRI scans.
The results were remarkable: watching nature scenes led to a significant reduction in perceived pain from the electrical shock.
Even more impressive, brain scans confirmed that nature exposure actually reduced the brain’s processing of pain signals—both in intensity and perception.
The Takeaway? Nature Heals!
Next time you're in pain, step outside, take a walk in the park, or even watch a calming nature video. Your brain—and your body—will thank you!
