Gardening is good for the body and mind: it decreases the level of stress, develops creativity, promotes physical activity. According to a study conducted by Royal Horticultural Society, families who practice gardening score well-being scores 6% higher than those who do not have this habit. But also science confirms the beneficial effect of the cultivation of greenery.
Raking and weeding can also improve overall fitness as well.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gardening is a real physical exercise: taking care of the green for only 30 – 45 minutes allows you to burn up to 300 calories.
The stress-relieving effects of gardening were field tested by researchers from the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands. 30 gardeners, who were assigned a stressful task, were then divided into two groups: one could recharge by reading and the other by gardening. Salivary cortisol levels and mood were repeatedly measured. Both gardening and reading have led to decreased cortisol, but the effect was significantly stronger in the gardening group. The positive mood was completely restored after the works in the green, but worsened while reading.
Researchers from the Universities of Bristol and London have also shown how contact with the soil and with a specific bacterium found in the soil, Mycobacterium vaccae, trigger the release of serotonin, a natural antidepressant that strengthens the immune system, and the lack of which contributes to depression.
Gardening also allows you to spend more time in the green, to the benefit of health. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a study on about 100,000 women: those who lived in areas surrounded by greenery had a 12% lower death rate compared to the others. In particular, the researchers recorded a 13% lower rate of death from cancer, 35% from respiratory diseases and 41% from kidney disease. The reason lies in a combination of factors: lower levels of depression, higher levels of physical activity and lower levels of pollution.
Research also shows that the awareness – which help us focus attention on the here and now and keep the mind from wandering into the past or worrying about the future – are an important therapeutic tool. Gardening is a classic example of this mindfulness exercise. In fact, many Eastern cultures, which have a long tradition of mindfulness, focus on the beauty of seasonal plants, such as cherry blossoms, precisely because of their transience, and not despite it. If we think that, on average, each person has more than 6,000 thoughts every day, gardening could be a great help: requiring concentration, calm brain and body.
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