According to a new study, exposure to natural spaces during the first COVID-19 lockdown last year was found to be beneficial for the mental health of people in Spain and Portugal.

In Portugal, during the first lockdown, people who maintained or increased exposure to natural public spaces, such as parks or coastal areas, or those who could observe these spaces from their homes, had lower levels of stress, psychological distress and psychosomatic symptoms. Additionally, in Spain, people who maintained or increased exposure to private natural spaces, like indoor plants, exhibited lower levels of stress and psychosomatic symptoms. 

The study was conducted by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universit at Autonoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) and the Instituto de Saude Publica of the University of Porto (ISPUP), and has been published in Environment International… (HT – ANI, June 23, 2021)