Outside magazine ran a fascinating feature last year about research that suggests simply spending time outdoors in nature can significantly improve your physical and mental health — lowering blood pressure and even fighting cancer. “And don’t think you’re off the hook if you [just] exercise outdoors,” the story says. “You are quite likely still tethered to civilization. Perhaps you’re strapped to a heart monitor or headset. Admit it: Have you brought your phone? Are you clocking wind sprints? Sure, you are deriving some mental and physical benefits, but evidence is mounting that to get the most out of nature, you really need to be present in it, not distracted by your own great story of self.”

From the story:

It sounds hokey that evergreen scents—the kind of thing given off by those cardboard trees dangling from the rearview mirrors of taxicabs—could help us live longer. But Li found similar results with NK cells in a petri dish: they increased in the presence of aromatic cypress molecules. So did anti-cancer proteins and proteases called granulysin, granzymes A and B, and perforin, which act by causing tumor cells to self-destruct.

 

Something to remember even in this cold, snowy season — it’s healthier if we don’t just huddle inside! Bookmark the feature if you’re looking for some light reading over the holidays. It notes that “The science is so convincing that other countries are following Japan’s lead in studying and promoting nature as a cure.”