Fian and colleagues investigated nature’s effects on wellbeing. They “explored the relationships between both residential greenness and recreational nature visits, and affective (WHO-5 Well-Being Index) and evaluative (Personal Well-Being Index-7) subjective well-being. . . . Results suggest that merely making neighborhoods greener may not itself help reduce inequalities in subjective well-being. Additionally, greater efforts are also needed to support individuals from all sectors of society to access natural settings for recreation as this could significantly improve the well-being of some of the poorest in society. . . . regular nature visits may be as important for well-being as some socio-demographic factors widely considered important for subjective well-being.”
Leonie Fian, Matthew White, Arne Arnberger, Thomas Thaler, Anja Heske, and Sabine Pahl. 2024. “Nature Visits, But Not Residential Greenness, Are Associated with Reduced Income-Related Inequalities in Subjective Well-Being.” Health and Place, vol. 85, 103175, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103175