Now get out and about Viewing nature can relieve pain according to study
A walk in the countryside is good for you - many people know this from their own experience. A study from Austria now shows that looking at nature can actually alleviate pain. But that's not all: nature is a multi-talent for our health.
16.03.2025, 07:01
23.04.2025, 16:44
SDA
The leaves rustle underfoot, the wind rustles softly through the treetops, the woodpecker taps its rhythmic beat in the distance. And in the middle of it all, something amazing happens: the stress disappears and the excitement subsides - and not just in our minds.
According to studies, even a small dose of nature can effectively reduce the level of the stress hormone cortisol. The green factor seems to play a role here, but it is not absolutely necessary. It can also be a break by the sea or in the mountains.
Images of nature alleviate pain
A study from Austria shows that when looking at scenes from nature, the brain activities that are typical for pain processing are lower than when looking at other motifs. In the study conducted by Maximilian Steininger's group at the University of Vienna, participants provided information about their perception of pain while watching short videos with motifs from nature, the city or an interior.
More nature, less cortisol
Many people feel that being in nature is good for them. In 2019, a team led by Mary-Carol Hunter from the University of Michigan reported that spending 20 minutes in nature is enough to significantly reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Researchers from Gothenburg had already described in 1984 that the sight of nature can also alleviate pain: According to them, patients required less pain medication after a surgical procedure and could be discharged more quickly if they looked through a window into nature instead of at a stone wall.
Electric shocks of different strengths
"Numerous studies have shown that people consistently feel less pain when they are exposed to nature," explained first author Steininger. "However, the underlying reasons for this effect were previously unclear." The authors of the study have now examined the brain activity of the test subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The 49 participants watched short videos with scenes from nature, the city and indoors, while electric shocks of varying intensity were administered to the back of their hands.
They indicated how intense and how unpleasant they perceived the pain to be. The images of nature and the city had a similar structure, with a large expanse of water in the middle of both and trees in the cityscape. Despite these relatively small differences, the participants felt less pain when looking at the nature scene than when looking at the other two motifs, as the team writes in the journal "Nature Communications".
The difference was even more pronounced when assessing how unpleasant the pain was. In contrast, the difference between the city scene and the indoor scene was only slight. Brain scans in connection with the nature videos showed less activity in those regions of the brain that are associated with pain processing.
Half as strong as painkillers
"Unlike pain reduction with placebos, for example, which generally change our emotional response to pain, watching nature caused the early, body-related signals to be processed differently by the brain," explained Steininger. The effect seems to have less to do with the expectations and emotions of the participants and more to do with changes in the underlying pain signals. "Our results suggest that the pain-relieving effect of nature is indeed present, although the effect we found was only about half as strong as that of painkillers," he said.
The researchers emphasize that the pain-relieving effects were shown without actually spending time in nature, namely just watching the videos. "This opens up a wide range of possible applications in the private and medical sectors and offers people a simple and accessible way to relieve their pain," emphasized research leader Claus Lamm.
Why walks in the forest work wonders
If you don't just want to experience nature on a screen, you should take a walk through the impressive greenery. This way, you unconsciously absorb scents from the trees, so-called terpenes - plant resins and essential oils that are said to lift the mood and strengthen the immune system. In Japan, forest bathing ("Shinrin Yoku") has therefore long been established as a recognized form of therapy and is now also becoming increasingly popular in Switzerland. Participants stroll through a forest to consciously pause and do nothing. They learn to perceive nature with all their senses.
Running water also has a positive effect: according to psychologists, looking at a stream or river can trigger meditative states. The steady movement calms the brain - similar to listening to music.
Nature costs nothing and is available almost everywhere. A walk in the park, a look at the greenery or a few minutes by the water can work wonders in everyday life - against pain, stress and exhaustion. So try to incorporate nature into your daily routine.
