#13: Get out!

Adding an extra dose of behavioral science to your week with our series In a Nutshell— a collection of behavioral science principles, explained in 150 words or less, written weekly by CUBIC director Allison Zelkowitz.

Do you feel a little happier when you take a walk, or find yourself surrounded by green?

Well, it’s not just you.

 British researchers studied the effect of the immediate environment on subjective wellbeing. They created a smartphone app called Mappiness that signaled nearly 22,000 participants at random moments, and asked them what they were doing, where they were, and how they were feeling. The researchers also gathered GPS locations, so they could determine the participants’ exact environments.

While controlling for weather, light, activity, and companionship, the researchers determined that participants were significantly happier outdoors, and in all natural habitats, compared to being inside, or in urban environments.

Coastal locations were by far the happiest locations, followed by other green places, such as mountains, forests, and fields.

So the message is clear: to enhance wellbeing, go outside! And try to find some trees, or a shoreline, while you’re at it.