Nature's cure: How forest walks cut stress, boost health

On his weekly day off, Augustine Ruto has made it customary to take a leisurely walk through the forest along the banks of the River Tana in Mororo Township.

Taking a break from work and daily commitments, Ruto says the scenic views and serene atmosphere induce an inner peace.

“What strikes me most is the abundance of nature — the river, its waters, the tiny ground animals, the trees, the birds, their nests, and insects — all amidst a deafening yet peaceful silence,” he says.

Walking through the forest makes him feel at peace. The slow and solitary walk, also known as forest bathing — or Shinrin-yoku in Japanese — has been the subject of extensive research across several continents.

Interdisciplinary scientific research conducted in Finland and Japan reveals that walking slowly through the forest can be therapeutic and beneficial to health, fostering deep inner peace.

“Spending time in nature helps people identify what is meaningful in their lives,” say researchers at the University of Turku in Finland.

The recent study titled, “Research in Eudaimonic Well-being Benefits of Nature in Sustainable Landscape Systems” by Dr Jona Jarekari, was published in the People and Nature journal.

According to the study, walking slowly in the woods can boost the body’s immune system by increasing anticancer proteins and enhancing the activity of certain cancer-fighting cells.

The study further observes that unhurried walking allows individuals to focus on the rhythm of their steps — feeling the ground beneath their feet and the sound of their breath.

The deeper inner benefit has a psychological term: eudaimonic being, described in psychology as the property of self-acceptance.

And nature helps with that. It not only lifts one’s mood for a while but also offers a clearer sense of self that endures.

When people walk in nature, they gain much more. The research team at the University of Turku invited participants to share how being outdoors shaped their sense of humanity.

A total of 158 participants — dressed in comfortable clothing and footwear — answered questions about time spent in nature and how it influenced their sense of purpose, self-acceptance, growth, relationships, autonomy and motivation.

Twenty participants also joined a creative writing workshop to describe, in their own words, how nature shapes them. The team paired statistical data with personal stories, capturing both patterns and depth.

“We wanted to explore how nature supports people’s self-acceptance, purpose in life, personal growth, relationships, autonomy and life management,” explained Dr Jarekari, a doctoral research fellow at the University of Turku.

Deeper fulfillment 

This is called eudaimonic well-being, and it stands in contrast to hedonism. While hedonism focuses on short-term pleasure, eudaimonia emphasises longer-term, deeper fulfilment.

The study focused on two age groups — 15- to 24-year-olds and adults over 60 — encompassing diverse lifestyles and life stages.

The research found differences between these groups in how they spent time in nature and the types of natural spaces they preferred.

“What both age groups shared in common was a sense that nature doesn’t judge or criticise,” said Dr Jarekari. This, he added, had a profoundly positive effect on participants’ self-acceptance.

Participants described two types of connection: an inward one — spending time on a trail, by water, or in a garden made it easier to listen to their inner selves and act in line with their values — and an outward one, where being outdoors strengthened bonds with friends and family.

The study noted that time spent outside also expanded people’s sense of community to include birds, trees and other species. 

“This broader bond pointed toward meaning beyond mere good moods,” the researchers observed.

“Spending time and being active in nature brought to light what truly matters to participants in their daily lives,” Dr Jarekari added. “It increased motivation, self-awareness and personal growth.”

Participants reported it became easier to connect with themselves, others and even the natural world. The Finnish research further showed that older adults often spoke fondly of shared moments with their grandchildren.

Japan’s National Library of Medicine Centre for Biotechnology Information recalls how Yoshi Yumi Fumi connected with nature in her family garden from a young age. The Japanese often say: “If you seek peace in chaos, take a forest bath.”

In Finland, the quietness of forest bathing offered moments of spirituality — an awareness of being part of something larger than oneself.

While many participants found this connection soothing, some younger ones reported anxiety about environmental destruction.

Their worries about climate change sometimes disrupted the sense of comfort, and some even expressed shame about being part of humanity’s ecological footprint.

“This feeling grew stronger when participants noticed visible effects of the ecological crisis on their surroundings,” noted Dr Jarekari. “Many young people also registered a sense of shame about being part of humanity. which challenged their self-acceptance,” he added. 

Such findings suggest something deeper: that nature is not merely a reset button but a steady setting where people practise being who they are — and who they aspire to be.

Urban planners

“Our research reveals nature’s impact not only on stress relief but on identity itself,” emphasised Dr Jarekari.

He added that connection to nature shapes people in ways that aren’t immediately visible but become clearer over time.

Dr Jarekari also noted that public space design matters. If parks are valued only by how many joggers they attract, society risks overlooking their deeper benefits — reflection, relationships and responsibility.

He urged urban planners to consider these factors, as nature still too often gives way to concrete and construction.

“We don’t need dramatic plans to make this real,” he said. “Choose a nearby spot, pause on an ordinary day, let your mind settle, and see what values rise within you.”

The term Shinrin-yoku was first coined by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in 1982 to mean “making contact with nature and absorbing the atmosphere of the forest.”

Physiological and psychological experiments were conducted across 24 forests, involving 12 subjects in each location (a total of 280 participants). The participants either walked through or viewed a forest or an urban area. On the first day, six subjects were randomly assigned to each environment as a control measure.

Salivary cortisol, blood pressure, pulse rate, and heart rate were recorded as key variables and used as indicators of stress response. These measurements were taken in the morning at the research facility, before breakfast, and both before and after walking sessions — which lasted 16 and 5 minutes respectively — as well as during 14-minute viewing periods. The respiratory rate interval was also measured during walking.

The results showed that the forest environment promoted lower pulse rates, reduced blood pressure, and increased parasympathetic nerve activity compared to the urban environment.

Further research by Dr Yashi Fumi-Miyazaki confirms that forest bathing significantly reduces cortisol — the stress hormone — thereby lowering blood pressure and heart rate.