Key TakeawaysA new study found that exposure to green space could improve processing speed and attention in middle-aged women.Reduce rates of depression may help explain this link between green space and cognition.The study builds on previous research linking exposure to parks, community gardens, and other greenery with improved mental health.

Key Takeaways

A new study found that exposure to green space could improve processing speed and attention in middle-aged women.Reduce rates of depression may help explain this link between green space and cognition.The study builds on previous research linking exposure to parks, community gardens, and other greenery with improved mental health.

Green space—trees, grass, flowers, forests, parks, or gardens—is more than just “nature.” It’s important to humans’ very existence and wellbeing. And new research shows that’s particularly true for middle-aged adults.

“There is extensive literature on the beneficial aspects of green space on health,”Marcia Pescador Jimenez, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University, told Verywell. But she said there isn’t much research about its effects on cognition in older groups of people.

“We wanted to close that gap,” she added.

Along with colleagues from Boston University, Harvard, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Rush Medical College, Pescador Jimenez analyzed residential green space and cognitive measures for thousands of middle-aged women. They found that green space exposure was associated with faster thinking skills and better ability to concentrate.

“Our findings suggest that green space should be investigated as a potential population-level approach to improve cognitive functions,” Pescador Jimenez said. “This means that our results can inform urban planners and policy makers on how to create cities and interventions that support healthy aging.”

The study was published inJAMA Network Openin late April.

What This Means For YouIf you or someone you know is worrying about their mental wellbeing, but access to green areas is a challenge, Pescador Jimenez said even looking at images of green spaces can be restorative. Same goes for having indoor plants, looking at trees though the windows, or getting involved in community gardens.

What This Means For You

If you or someone you know is worrying about their mental wellbeing, but access to green areas is a challenge, Pescador Jimenez said even looking at images of green spaces can be restorative. Same goes for having indoor plants, looking at trees though the windows, or getting involved in community gardens.

What the Researchers Did—and Didn’t-Find

To carry out the study, Pescador Jimenez and colleagues needed to estimate two things: participants’ cognitive abilities and the green space around their houses.

To analyze cognitive function, researchers measured data from 13,594 women with an average age of 61, of whom 98% were White, between 2014 and 2016. The data was collected as part of the Nurses’ Health Study II, one of the largest investigations into the risk factors for chronic diseases among U.S. women. Specifically, researchers looked at psychomotor speed, attention, learning, and working memory.

What Is Psychomotor Speed?Psychomotor speed refers to speed of thinking measured through action. One measure for this called thetrail making test, which asks participants to connect numbers and/or letters in ascending order as quickly as possible.

What Is Psychomotor Speed?

Psychomotor speed refers to speed of thinking measured through action. One measure for this called thetrail making test, which asks participants to connect numbers and/or letters in ascending order as quickly as possible.

To measure green space in the vicinity of study participants, researchers used a satellite image-based metric called the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to assess whether the areas around the participants’ homes contained live green vegetation.

After adjusting the data for differentials like age, race, and socioeconomic status, the researchers found that green space exposure was associated with enhanced psychomotor speed and attention compared to controls, but not learning or working memory.

Why Green Space Might Improve Your Ability to Think

To explain the link between green space and improved attention, the researchers ran something called a mediation analysis to look for any other related mechanisms. For example, green space is often associated with reduced air pollution, as well as increased physical activity, which can in turn lower risk of depression.

To better understand this potential link with depression, Pescador Jimenez says to think about what green space can mean to individuals and a community.

Regular Screening for Depression Can Help, but Treatment Needs to Be Timely

Limitations

This study’s limitations mostly revolve around technology and representation. For example, Pescador Jimenez said that the NDVI, while well-established and standardized across studies, cannot distinguish between trees, grass, crops, or other types of vegetation. She explains this is fundamental for policy relevance.

The researchers hope that their study will be replicated among more diverse populations.

Green Space Poses Equity Issues

Activists and researchers have been advocating for more equitable access to green space in the U.S. for years. Yet social and environmental forces still stand in the way.

For example, a 2019 analysis demonstrated access to urban vegetation “is generally associated with traditional markers of privilege in U.S. cities,” such as being White, having more years of formal schooling, and higher income.

“Increasing everyday access to vegetation across vulnerable groups in urban cities is a crucial next step to achieve health equity,” Pescador Jimenez in apress release.

How to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality to Protect Against Pollutants

How to Green Up Your Space

If you don’t live particularly close to green space, it can seem impossible to incorporate it into your life. But Pescador Jimenez said that even just looking at or watching images or videos of green spaces can help with psychological restoration.

“Having indoor plants or looking at trees through the windows would probably help,” she said.

One opportunity for urbanites? Getting involved in a community garden.There are thousands of gardens throughoutNew York City,Chicago,Boston, andLos Angeles, for example.

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Jimenez MP, Elliott EG, DeVille NV, et al.Residential green space and cognitive function in a large cohort of middle-aged women.JAMA Netw Open.2022;5(4):e229306. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.9306Hwang M, Tudorascu DL, Nunley K, et al.Brain activation and psychomotor speed in middle-aged patients with type 1 diabetes: Relationships with hyperglycemia and brain small vessel disease.J Diabetes Res. 2016;2016:9571464. doi:10.1155/2016/9571464Bennett S, Thomas AJ.Depression and dementia: cause, consequence or coincidence?Maturitas. 2014;79(2):184-190. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.009Nesbitt L, Meitner MJ, Girling C, Sheppard SR, Lu Y.Who has access to urban vegetation? A spatial analysis of distributional green equity in 10 US cities.Landsc Urban Plan. 2019;181:151-79. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.08.007Wolch JR, Byrne J, Newell JP.Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough.’Landsc Urban Plan. 2014;125:234-244. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.01.017Egli V, Oliver M, Tautolo el-S.The development of a model of community garden benefits to wellbeing.Prev Med Rep.2016;3:348-352. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.04.005

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Jimenez MP, Elliott EG, DeVille NV, et al.Residential green space and cognitive function in a large cohort of middle-aged women.JAMA Netw Open.2022;5(4):e229306. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.9306Hwang M, Tudorascu DL, Nunley K, et al.Brain activation and psychomotor speed in middle-aged patients with type 1 diabetes: Relationships with hyperglycemia and brain small vessel disease.J Diabetes Res. 2016;2016:9571464. doi:10.1155/2016/9571464Bennett S, Thomas AJ.Depression and dementia: cause, consequence or coincidence?Maturitas. 2014;79(2):184-190. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.009Nesbitt L, Meitner MJ, Girling C, Sheppard SR, Lu Y.Who has access to urban vegetation? A spatial analysis of distributional green equity in 10 US cities.Landsc Urban Plan. 2019;181:151-79. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.08.007Wolch JR, Byrne J, Newell JP.Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough.’Landsc Urban Plan. 2014;125:234-244. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.01.017Egli V, Oliver M, Tautolo el-S.The development of a model of community garden benefits to wellbeing.Prev Med Rep.2016;3:348-352. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.04.005

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Jimenez MP, Elliott EG, DeVille NV, et al.Residential green space and cognitive function in a large cohort of middle-aged women.JAMA Netw Open.2022;5(4):e229306. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.9306Hwang M, Tudorascu DL, Nunley K, et al.Brain activation and psychomotor speed in middle-aged patients with type 1 diabetes: Relationships with hyperglycemia and brain small vessel disease.J Diabetes Res. 2016;2016:9571464. doi:10.1155/2016/9571464Bennett S, Thomas AJ.Depression and dementia: cause, consequence or coincidence?Maturitas. 2014;79(2):184-190. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.009Nesbitt L, Meitner MJ, Girling C, Sheppard SR, Lu Y.Who has access to urban vegetation? A spatial analysis of distributional green equity in 10 US cities.Landsc Urban Plan. 2019;181:151-79. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.08.007Wolch JR, Byrne J, Newell JP.Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough.’Landsc Urban Plan. 2014;125:234-244. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.01.017Egli V, Oliver M, Tautolo el-S.The development of a model of community garden benefits to wellbeing.Prev Med Rep.2016;3:348-352. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.04.005

Jimenez MP, Elliott EG, DeVille NV, et al.Residential green space and cognitive function in a large cohort of middle-aged women.JAMA Netw Open.2022;5(4):e229306. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.9306

Hwang M, Tudorascu DL, Nunley K, et al.Brain activation and psychomotor speed in middle-aged patients with type 1 diabetes: Relationships with hyperglycemia and brain small vessel disease.J Diabetes Res. 2016;2016:9571464. doi:10.1155/2016/9571464

Bennett S, Thomas AJ.Depression and dementia: cause, consequence or coincidence?Maturitas. 2014;79(2):184-190. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.009

Nesbitt L, Meitner MJ, Girling C, Sheppard SR, Lu Y.Who has access to urban vegetation? A spatial analysis of distributional green equity in 10 US cities.Landsc Urban Plan. 2019;181:151-79. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.08.007

Wolch JR, Byrne J, Newell JP.Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough.’Landsc Urban Plan. 2014;125:234-244. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.01.017

Egli V, Oliver M, Tautolo el-S.The development of a model of community garden benefits to wellbeing.Prev Med Rep.2016;3:348-352. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.04.005

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