Spending time in nature can reduce feelings of loneliness, study suggests

Research indicates that loneliness is not just about human relationships, but is also impacted by our environment, Saman Javed reports

A woman walks in the park (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the social restrictions that have come with it, the number of people who have felt lonely often, or always, has significantly increased. According to the Campaign to End Loneliness, more than one million people in the UK have become chronically lonely in the last 21 months.

Evidence suggests that loneliness can have a wide-ranging impact on a person’s mental health and make them more prone to depression. Previous research has also found a link between loneliness and cognitive decline and the onset of dementia. By definition, loneliness is an emotion which occurs because of a “perceived sense of disconnection from others”.

While it largely stems from our need for human relationships, a new study which investigated the associations between loneliness and social and environmental factors has found that it may also be reduced by contact with nature.