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If you are fighting for a cigarette, a cocktail or a candy bar, research suggests that there is a tactic to try to make it as simple as walking in the park.
According to a new study, being able to see green spaces at home or having access to a local park or garden is linked to unhealthy and less frequent unhealthy cravings.
Researchers from the University of Plymouth interviewed 149 subjects aged 21 to 65 using an online questionnaire asking them what they were looking for, including food , chocolate, nicotine, alcohol and caffeine. They were also asked about their closeness to nature, for example if they could see the greenery of their home or if they had a plot or garden to visit nearby. The researchers also used maps to determine the proportion of green space in each person's neighborhood.
The result? Those who had regular access to a park or garden reported having fewer cravings and the cravings they felt were less serious. And those whose view from their home included more than 25% of green space saw the same benefit. These results have been found regardless of physical activity – whether people are taking 10,000 steps a day and gardening in their gardening, or if they just admire the view.
Now, these results do not show a causal link, which means that someone just can not wait to quit for good while doing a walk. (Read this for a definitive smoking cessation guide, no BS.) But the link between quality greenery and less severe and less frequent cravings is "a promising first step," said Dr. Sabine Pahl. author of the study and associate professor of psychology at the University of Plymouth.
"Future research should determine if and how green spaces can be used to help people resist problem cravings, thus enabling them to better manage quitting attempts in the future."
So why would the greenery have an influence on whether you want to gorge on junk food or have a drink?
A growing body of research suggests that being outdoors has many benefits for physical and mental health. A recent study of 20,000 people published in Scientific Reports found that people who spent at least 120 minutes in the wild (on average about 18 minutes a day) were 20% more likely to say that they had higher psychological well-being, and they were 60% more likely to say they were in good health.
Related: Doing this simple thing for just 18 minutes a day can dramatically improve your health
Research has established a link between stress, smoking, overconsumption of sugary comfort foods and consumption of alcohol. Therefore, if a walk in the nature can reduce stress, it could eventually reduce cravings at the same time.
The results come at a time when the average American spends 93% of his time indoors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Related: Every day is National Indoor Plant Appreciation Day for these millennials and their #plantbabies
The benefits of nature therapy are becoming more widely recognized than biophilic design – which connects a workspace or a residence to nature by incorporating live plants and running water (or, indirectly, using more wood and natural textures) – takes root at Amazon
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and SquareSpace. Some research suggests that exposure to natural elements, especially sunlight, improves worker productivity and job satisfaction, and reduces levels of depression and anxiety among employees.
Related: Your office may soon look like a greenhouse
In fact, doctors in Scotland's Shetland Islands have even started prescribing nature for the treatment of chronic diseases such as hypertension, anxiety and depression. The doctors' orders include gardening, or beach walking and shell collecting.
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