Why boosting body image is a walk in the park

Ross Lydall on the healing powers of nature
Ashley Coates/Flickr
Ross Lydall @RossLydall22 January 2018

They are the green lungs of north London, where well-to-do walkers mingle with fitness enthusiasts and celebrity residents as they take the weekend air.

But enjoying a walk in the natural beauty of Hampstead Heath or Primrose Hill has also been found to boost positive body image.

Researchers asked volunteers to take a 30-minute stroll on the heath, including a hike to the top of Parliament Hill. They compared their mood afterwards to others sent on an urban walk past high-rise blocks, garages, car parks and small shops.

Similar tests were done at Primrose Hill, where people were questioned as they entered and as they left the park. The super-affluent area, which in the Nineties became synonymous with Kate Moss, Ewan McGregor, Jude Law and Sadie Frost, is now favoured by Daisy Lowe, Sam Smith and Nick Grimshaw.

Viren Swami, professor of social psychology at Anglia Ruskin University and lead author of the study, said there were several reasons why exposure to nature could result in positive body image. “It might be that it distances people, physically and mentally, from appearance-focused situations that are one of the causes of negative body image,” he said. “It is also possible that exposure to environments with depth and complexity restricts negative appearance-related thoughts.”

Professor Swami said one surprising result from the study was that there was no need to be outside to feel happier. Digital images of the “great outdoors” viewed on a computer screen also had a positive impact on body images, researchers found.

He told the Standard: “The importance of the study is that it shows for the first time that exposure to any kind of nature, whether it’s digital images or real nature, has a positive effect.

“Natural environments effortlessly hold your attention – a process known as ‘soft fascination’. This is often accompanied by feelings of pleasure, such as when you are drawn to the sight of a setting sun.” The study, which involved University College London and Perdana university in Malaysia, is published in the journal Body Image.

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