FRISKY FRIDAY FRUSTRATION: Body Image ‘Threats’ – Here’s How Nature Helps

Many people struggle with body image, but a new study shows nature can help people deal with anxiety about how they look.

UK researchers have found that spending time in natural environments provides opportunities for healthy body image coping strategies.  It’s thought this could be due to the physical and mental distancing from the sources of body image threats such as unrealistic appearance standards, mirrors, or social media.

It’s also determined that time spent in nature may also help individuals develop healthier thought processes, which lead to more realistic self-appraisals of body image threats, and their future consequences.

This was found to apply to both men and women.

Lead study author Viren Swami adds, “We know that positive body image boosts mental health, and this study adds weight to the growing body of evidence about the importance of exposure to nature, and how we need to ensure as a society that everyone has as much access to natural environments as possible.”