Background: Prior evidence indicates that contact with nature improves physical health, but data explicitly linking engagement with nature to biological processes are limited.
Design: Leveraging survey and biomarker data from 1,244 adults (mean age = 54.50 years, range = 34-84 years) from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS II) study, we examined associations between nature engagement, operationalized as the frequency of pleasant nature encounters, and systemic inflammation. Concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen were measured from fasting blood samples. Analyses adjusted for sociodemographic, health behavior, and psychological well-being covariates.
Results: More frequent positive nature contact was independently associated with lower circulating levels of inflammation.
Conclusions: These findings add to a growing literature on the salubrious health effects of nature by demonstrating how such experiences are instantiated in downstream physiological systems, potentially informing future interventions and public health policies.
Keywords: Human-nature relationship; Inflammation; Nature contact; Well-being.
Published by Elsevier Inc.