🌿 INSIGHT – What research teaches us about nature and health
Learn what nature can do for us and what science has to say about it.
Read more →Nature has an effect on us
Healthcare in the Netherlands relies heavily on evidence-based science, or in other words, on what has been proven to work. Yet when it comes to nature, we are all experts by experience.
Everyone feels what greenery does for you: during a walk, a day at the seaside, or a vacation in nature, tension eases, breathing becomes calmer, and thoughts become lighter.
This experience is increasingly supported by scientific evidence. Worldwide, there is a growing body of research showing that contact with nature is strongly linked to better physical, mental, and social health.
What research teaches us about nature and health
Prevention & well-being
Nature as health capital
A green living environment is not a luxury, but a form of silent prevention. Research by Jolanda Maas (VU Amsterdam) and Agnes van den Berg (Natuurvoormensen), among others, shows that people who live in a green neighborhood feel healthier on average, experience less stress, and exercise more.
More and more studies show that greenery in neighborhoods yields measurable health benefits:
- The Flanders study (KU Leuven, 2024) found a link between neighborhoods with trees with large crowns and lower use of antidepressants and cardiovascular medication.
- A Danish cohort study (Engemann et al., 2019) involving more than 900,000 residents showed that children who grow up in green neighborhoods are significantly less likely to develop
various mental disorders, including depression and psychosis. - Analyses from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands show that more greenery is associated with less absenteeism, higher vitality, and better cognitive functioning.
Nature reduces stress hormones, promotes recovery of attention, and strengthens social cohesion. Living, learning, or working in green surroundings is often associated with greater resilience and mental well-being.
Sources:
- Maas et al. (2009), J Epidemiol Community Health
- Maas, J. (2008), Vitamin G: Green environments – healthy environments
- Van den Berg, A.E. (2017), Het gebruik van natuur voor gezondheid in de praktijk. Bilthoven: RIVM (rapport 2017-0204)
- WHO Europe (2021), Urban Green Spaces and Health
- Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij (2024), Bomen en Medicatiegebruik
- Engemann et al. (2019), PNAS
- University of Exeter (2019), Nature and Wellbeing
Primary care
Nature as an accessible intervention
More and more healthcare professionals see nature as part of recovery. Patients suffering from stress, fatigue, or mild depression benefit from regular outdoor activities: walking, gardening, or exercising together in green spaces.
International initiatives show how this works:
- PaRx (Canada) – doctors officially prescribe time in nature.
- Green Social Prescribing (UK) – part of the NHS; every £1 invested yields £1.88 in social benefits.
- Walk with a Doc (US) – doctors walk with patients and strengthen health and trust.
In the Netherlands, this philosophy is taking shape in initiatives such as Natuur op Recept (Nature on Prescription), in which general practitioners, the welfare sector, and green organizations work together to encourage people to spend more time in nature. The premise is simple: nature relaxes, activates, and connects.
Sources:
- NHS England (2023)
- Lem (2021), PaRx
- Walk with a Doc (2020)
- Postma & Maas (2025), Handleiding Natuur en Gezondheid – Alles is Gezondheid
Secondary care
Green treatment and recovery environments
Mental health care (GGZ)
Research both internationally and in the Netherlands indicates that contact with nature can reduce stress, improve mood, and support recovery from mental health issues. Studies in the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, the UK, and Canada show that nature in treatments, counseling, and daily activities is often associated with greater resilience and self-regulation.
In the Netherlands, this knowledge is being put into practice within Groene GGZ (Green Mental Health Care), where practitioners structurally integrate nature into therapy and recovery programs.
Care for people with disabilities
Nature appears to be a powerful ally for people with disabilities. The launch of Groene Gehandicaptenzorg (Green Care for People with Disabilities) illustrates how outdoor spaces, animals, and plants contribute to exercise, meaning, self-esteem, and social contact. Green day care and care farms create peace and structure and strengthen the connection with the living environment.
Elderly care
For the elderly, nature promotes quality of life, mood, and cognition. Green meeting places and care gardens reduce loneliness, lower agitation in dementia, and stimulate mobility. A natural environment often makes the difference between staying indoors or continuing to participate in life.
Bronnen:
Mental health care (GGZ)
- Bratman et al. (2019), Science Advances
- Hartig et al. (2014), Annual Review of Public Health
- Postma et al. (2022), Groene GGZ – Nature For Health
- Postma & Maas (2025), Handleiding Natuur en Gezondheid
- WHO Europe (2021)
Disability care
- Van den Berg (2017), RIVM – Het gebruik van natuur voor gezondheid in de praktijk
- Hassink & Hulsink (2020), Care Farming and Community Building
Elderly care
- Detweiler et al. (2012), Journal of Housing for the Elderly
- Van den Berg & Custers (2011), Aging & Mental Health
- WHO (2022), Age-friendly Environments and Nature
Nature works: from feeling to evidence
Science is unanimous: more nature means better health. Whether it concerns lower healthcare costs, less stress, or stronger recovery, the evidence consistently points in the same direction.
Universities in Amsterdam, York, Exeter, Stockholm (SLU), and Vancouver demonstrate how nature forms the bridge between ecology, psychology, and medicine.
This knowledge also forms the basis of the work of the Nature-Inclusive Collective. In the field of health, we work with the conviction that human health and nature are inextricably linked: two sides of the same spectrum.
