In recent years, numerous studies have revealed that increasing contact with nature not only improves physical health but also enhances mental well-being.

During the pandemic, those of us living amidst concrete jungles may have developed an even greater appreciation for green spaces, urban residents worldwide sought solace in parks and gardens, finding unexpected tranquility and joy.

Urban life is a relatively recent invention in the timeline of human evolution. It's perhaps this novelty of urban living that explains our enduring affinity for nature and green spaces.

Biologist Edward O. Wilson proposed his "biophilia" hypothesis in 1984, suggesting that our evolutionary past influences our brain's positive response to stimuli such as trees, grasslands, lakes, and rivers—features that historically enhanced our ancestors' survival chances.

Whether or not Wilson's hypothesis holds, a wealth of research in recent years confirms that increased interaction with nature not only enhances physical health but also strengthens mental well-being. This evidence spans studies on specific psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, and mood disorders.

Researchers have further discovered that nature exposure improves sleep, alleviates stress, boosts happiness, reduces negative emotions, fosters positive social interactions, and even enhances one's sense of life's meaning. Whether one suffers from depression or not, being in green environments enhances various cognitive functions, including attention, memory, and creativity.

Urban vegetation not only absorbs harmful particulate matter and pollutants from transportation and industrial activities but also potentially improves mental health by doing so. Growing evidence suggests that exposure to such pollutants damages the central nervous system, correlating with certain mental illnesses like depression. Urban greenery also aids in reducing noise pollution, a stressor that disrupts sleep.

In many cultures, visiting green spaces is more associated with social activities like picnicking than with physical exercise. This social aspect of nature brings benefits in itself: socializing reduces feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, residing in supportive, communal neighborhoods also benefits mental health—appealing public spaces serve as catalysts for community cohesion.

Interestingly, some of nature's impacts on happiness seem entirely psychological. Just this year, Swiss researchers found that gazing at nature from one's own home reduces perceived noise, with the effect being more pronounced the closer one is to green spaces.

The Attention Restoration Theory hypothesizes to explain this effect, suggesting that everyday cognitive focus negatively affects mood, while nature's inherent stimuli provide a restorative sensory environment for attention fatigue.

Beyond mental health benefits, healthy natural environments provide a suite of crucial "ecosystem services," from clean air and water to material cycling, flood prevention, and pollination.

Anu Ramaswami, an environmental engineer at Princeton University, asserts that green public spaces rank among the seven critical supply systems of cities, alongside housing, water, food, energy, connectivity, and sanitation.

As understanding of nature's health benefits deepens, coupled with our experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, the trend towards urban greening is underway. Inspiring examples from the United States, such as ambitious greening initiatives in Los Angeles and New York, illustrate this shift.

Despite our increasingly urbanized existence, the desire and need for green spaces have never waned. From physical health to mental well-being, from social interaction to ecological sustainability, nature bestows upon us abundant gifts.

As our understanding of these benefits grows and is validated by firsthand experiences during the pandemic, we anticipate further strides in urban greening. Therefore, let us continue to cherish and invest in green spaces, promoting human health and creating more pleasant environments for future urban living.