Spending time in nature is good for us. Studies have shown that contact with nature can lift our well-being by . Even brief exposure to nature can help. One well-known study found that hospital patients recovered faster .

Knowing more about nature’s effects on our bodies could not only help our well-being, but could also improve how we care for land, preserve ecosystems and design cities, homes and parks. Yet studies on the benefits of contact with nature have typically focused primarily on how seeing nature affects us. There has been less focus on what the nose knows. That is something a group of researchers wants to change.

“We are immersed in a world of odorants, and we have a sophisticated olfactory system that processes them, with resulting impacts on our emotions and behavior,” said , a ����Ӱ�Ӵ�ý assistant professor of environmental and forest sciences. “But compared to research on the benefits of seeing nature, we don’t know nearly as much about how the impacts of nature’s scents and olfactory cues affect us.”

In a published May 15 in Science Advances, Bratman and colleagues from around the world outline ways to expand research into how odors and scents from natural settings impact our health and well-being. The interdisciplinary group of experts in olfaction, psychology, ecology, public health, atmospheric science and other fields are based at institutions in the U.S., the U.K., Taiwan, Germany, Poland and Cyprus.

At its core, the human sense of smell, or olfaction, is a in constant operation. The nose is packed with hundreds of olfactory receptors, which are sophisticated chemical sensors. Together, they can , and that information gets delivered directly to the nervous system for our minds to interpret — consciously or otherwise.

The natural world releases a steady stream of chemical compounds to keep our olfactory system busy. Plants in particular exude , that can persist in the air for hours or days. VOCs perform many functions for plants, such as repelling herbivores or attracting pollinators. Some researchers have studied the impact of exposures to plant VOCs on people.

“We know bits and pieces of the overall picture,” said Bratman. “But there is so much more to learn. We are proposing a framework, informed by important research from many others, on how to investigate the intimate links between olfaction, nature and human well-being.”

Nature’s smell-mediated impacts likely come through different routes, according to the authors. Some chemical compounds, including a subset of those from the invisible realm of plant VOCs, may be acting on us without our conscious knowledge. In these cases, olfactory receptors in the nose could be initiating a “subthreshold” response to molecules that people are largely unaware of. Bratman and his co-authors are calling for vastly expanded research on when, where and how these undetected biochemical processes related to natural VOCs may affect us.

Other olfactory cues are picked up consciously, but scientists still don’t fully understand all their impacts on our health and well-being. Some scents, for example, may have “universal” interpretations to humans — something that nearly always smells pleasant, like a sweet-smelling flower. Other scents are closely tied to specific memories, or have associations and interpretations that vary by culture and personal experience, as research by co-author of the University of Oxford has shown.

“Understanding how olfaction mediates our relationships with the natural world and the benefits we receive from it are multi-disciplinary undertakings,” said Bratman. “It involves insights from olfactory function research, Indigenous knowledge, Western psychology, anthropology, atmospheric chemistry, forest ecology, — or ‘forest bathing’ — neuroscience, and more.”

Investigation into the potential links between our sense of smell and positive experiences with nature includes research by co-author at University College London, which shows that the cultural significance of smells, including those from nature, can be passed down in communities to each new generation. Co-author at Birmingham City University has delved into the associations people have with scents in built environments and urban gardens.

Other co-authors have shown that nature leaves its signature in the very air we breathe. Forests, for example, release a complex chemical milieux into the air. Research by co-author at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the Cyprus Institute shows how natural VOCs can react and mix in the atmosphere, with repercussions for olfactory environments.

The authors are also calling for more studies to investigate how human activity alters nature’s olfactory footprint — both by pollution, which can modify or destroy odorants in the air, and by reducing habitats that release beneficial scents.

“Human activity is modifying the environment so quickly in some cases that we’re learning about these benefits while we’re simultaneously making them more difficult for people to access,” said Bratman. “As research illuminates more of these links, our hope is that we can make more informed decisions about our impacts on the natural world and the volatile organic compounds that come from it. As we say in the paper, we live within the chemical contexts that nature creates. Understanding this more can contribute to human well-being and advance efforts to protect the natural world.”

Other UW co-authors on the paper are , profess of psychology; , a graduate student in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; and , a clinical associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences. Additional co-authors are of Stanford University; at the University of Pennsylvania; Thomas Hummel of the Dresden University of Technology; of the University of California, Berkeley; John Miller of Wildwood|Mahonia; Anna Oleszkiewicz of the University of Wrocław; of Oregon Health and Sciences University; of the Monell Chemical Senses Center; and of Harvard University; and Chia-Pin Yu of National Taiwan University.

For more information, contact Bratman at bratman@uw.edu.

As studies have shown — and personal experiences can attest — spending time in nature helps reduce anxiety, improve mental health and well-being, and bolster physical health.

In light of stay-at-home orders, ����Ӱ�Ӵ�ý researchers share that studies also show there is much to be gained from nature close to home, whether in a yard, on neighborhood walks or even indoors.

“Studies have proven that even the smallest bit of nature — a single tree, a small patch of flowers, a house plant — can generate health benefits,” said , a UW research social scientist in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. “Look closely in your neighborhood, and the bit of nature you may have taken for granted up until now may become the focus of your attention and help you feel better.”

Thousands of studies have shown nature’s positive impact on health and well-being, even in urban areas and for people living in more confined areas. One study found that a 20-minute “dose” of nature in cities . Another showed that more tree cover helped among residents of nursing homes. A study in Sweden found that access to a garden significantly . Access to gardens or views of nature can even .

Residents who have backyards or balconies can replicate these benefits at home by tending a garden or potted plants, sitting in the grass under a tree, walking barefoot, listening to birds sing or even studying a single flower or leaf and contemplating its every curve and feature.

For people who can’t go outside, studies have shown that gazing out a window or looking at nature photos or videos — including virtual tours — are also effective in promoting positive mental health.

A key aspect of accessing these benefits is to bring a level of attention and mindfulness to the activity, something we might not normally do when looking out a window, scrolling through photos or walking down the street.

“It’s important to be mindful, commit to the activity and think about your observations while looking at these materials or elements of nature,” Wolf explained. “That means not merely scrolling through on your computer, but looking at photos or video streams with more intention. It’s essentially nature-oriented meditation.”

To help with this attuned focus, Wolf recommends journaling or sketching nature you see each day, or forming an online discussion group with friends or family to share nature experiences. It can also be helpful to think back to a specific place or experience in nature where you felt calm, relaxed and rejuvenated. Try to conjure up those memories and share them as stories with others.

The relational, social aspect of this process is also extremely important, Wolf said.

“Even though we are physically distancing, it’s really important to our health to maintain our social connections. There is evidence that people who are lonely or who are socially isolated can be prone to poorer health,” Wolf explained. “Nature might be a means, either by being outside a safe distance from others or by sharing stories with each other, of staying socially connected.”

Experiences with nature can slow the mind’s natural process of rumination, in which we fret about the past and worry about the future in potentially destructive ways, explained psychologist , a UW professor of psychology and of environmental and forest sciences.

“In these times, I think our minds can be a little out of control. Part of the effect of nature is that it can soften negative conditioned mental patterns,” Kahn explained. “If you can find nature, engage with it and get your heart rate down, then your mind begins to settle. When your mind isn’t ruminating, it can then open to a wider world, where there’s great beauty and healing.”

For those who are able to get outside and move — while keeping the recommended minimum distance of 6 feet between people — physical activity will continue to play an important role in maintaining health, especially in reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, said , a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics at UW School of Medicine.

“Social distancing is essential and critical, and we have to follow the public health recommendations out there and play our part in supporting our community’s capacity in caring for everyone who is sick or might become sick,” Tandon said during a recent UW webinar about nature and health. “That being said, I think being outdoors and being active can play an important role in promoting our health and preventing disease for when we do emerge from this.”

Tandon encourages healthy people who can practice social distancing to aim for about 60 minutes of physical activity each day for children and 30 minutes each day for adults.

The program at the UW is keeping a of ways to engage with nature, including everything from responsible outdoor activities to “zoo cams” and virtual national park tours.