Understanding the psychological health and well-being benefits of physical activity in nature: An ecological dynamics analysis

Abstract

There is growing evidence that contact with nature and physical activity in nature have considerable benefits for human health. Exposure to nature has been shown to improve psychological well-being, relieve stress, increase positive mood, enhance life skills, reduce mental fatigue, increase concentration, and reduce aggression. In this paper, we propose a functional perspective from ecological dynamics, which emphasizes the person-environment scale of analysis for understanding the psychological benefits of physical activity in nature. From this viewpoint, psychological benefits of green exercise emerge from a rich landscape of affordances or behavioral opportunities during interactions with natural environments to enhance human health and well-being.