Nature's Beneficial Effects on Individuals

Abstract

There is a growing sparsity of nature and a decline in how much time people spend being in nature. However, spending time in nature and green spaces has been shown to improve cognitive abilities in people as well as reduce ADHD symptoms in children (Berg & Berg, 2010; Schutte et al, 2015). I did a literature review of this topic to explain the benefits of spending time in nature. To find research articles I looked for articles related to the cognitive benefits of nature, nature’s effects on ADHD symptoms and the benefit of nature elements in therapeutic activities. I included qualitative as well as quantitative research and excluded research that did not have an element of spending time in green spaces. Results from the literature review showed increases in cognitive abilities such as increased focus when participants spent time in nature areas. It also showed decreases in ADHD symptoms in children when they spend time outside in nature areas versus being inside or in urban areas. These findings demonstrate the importance of spending time outside in nature areas to help increase cognitive function and reduce ADHD symptoms in children.