Living near green space has soothing, lasting impact

Is your apartment complex in the process of clearing a green space to make an additional parking lot? Here's one reason you must protest: Research has revealed that green spaces make for significantly improved mental health.

A new study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology has revealed that parks and green spaces in cities make for significant and sustained improvement in mental health.

Analysing data after following people over a five-year period, the research found that moving to a greener area not only improves people's mental health, but that the effect continues long after they have moved.

The findings add to evidence that suggests increasing green spaces in cities - such as parks and gardens - could deliver substantial benefits to public health, reports Science Daily.

The research is one of the first studies to consider the effects of green space over time, and has used data from the British Household Panel Survey, a repository of information gathered from questionnaires filled in by households across Great Britain.

Using data from over 1,000 participants, the research team at the University of Exeter Medical School focused on two groups of people: those who moved to greener urban areas, and those who relocated to less green urban areas.

They found that, on average, movers to greener areas experienced an immediate improvement in mental health that was sustained for at least three years after they moved.

The study also showed that people relocating to a more built up area suffered a drop in mental health. Interestingly, this fall occurred before they moved, returning to normal once the move was complete.

The authors adjusted their data to remove effects from other factors likely to affect mental health over time -- such as income, employment and education -- as well as factors related to personality.

Lead researcher, Ian Alcock, believes the study's results could have important implications.

"We've shown that individuals who move to greener areas have significant and long-lasting improvements in mental health. These findings are important for urban planners thinking about introducing new green spaces to our towns and cities, suggesting they could provide long term and sustained benefits for local communities," he said.