Maybe it's stress reduction. Maybe there's something even deeper than that. More research on nature's healing properties could translate to different approaches in medicine, he says. Instead of prescribing drugs, doctors could recommend vacations, gardening or pet ownership as treatment for different ailments. On a community level, it could mean easy access to parks, and for kids, having recess in natural surroundings.
Experts have mixed opinions on the health benefits of contact with natural world.
In addition, as a long-time consultant to nursing homes, Sanders says he sees the positive effect pets have on patients with dementia. Even with their impaired mental abilities, the patients are able to connect with the cats or dogs. Oakley Ray, PhD, professor of psychology, psychiatry and pharmacology at Vanderbilt University, says people can get the same gratification from material things such as a teddy bear, or a favorite blanket. But that's a personal philosophy, because there aren't any data that will speak to it. Contact with nature may be pleasurable for some people, but not for others, Ray adds.