It seems intuitive that being outdoors, surrounded by nature and natural beauty is good for the heart, soul and mind. But just how healthy is it?
A new crowdsourcing app developed by scientists at the University of Cambridge in the UK could help them to understand more about the relationship between biodiversity and well-being.
NatureBuzz can be downloaded for free on iOS and Android platforms and asks participants three times per day to answer questions about how they feel and whether they are outside or indoors. Other questions relate to who they are with and what they are doing, while their location is recorded via GPS.
“Apps provide a great way of collecting data from thousands – possibly tens of thousands – of users, a scale that is just not possible in lab experiments,” said research associate Laurie Parma from the Department of Psychology, who coordinates the study.
“We’ll use this data to answer some fascinating and potentially very important questions about our relationship with nature.”
While earlier studies have suggested that people are happier in natural settings, it is unclear whether all green spaces promote happiness equally.
Research Hopes
The researchers involved in the project hope the crowdsourcing data will answer fundamental questions about:
The scientists think the results may be able to inform policymakers on how to promote biodiversity as well as enable reserve managers to help people make the most of the health-boosting potential of access to nature.