Garden!

Fjaestad and team’s work confirms the value of gardening; they learned via data gathered from people 46 to 80 years old that “Compared to participants who did not engage in gardening, those who gardened for ≥150 min per week were more likely to report better mental wellbeing . . . and life satisfaction. . . . these effects were stronger for participants aged 64 years and older. These findings contribute to a burgeoning body of research that indicates gardening may be beneficial for mental health and life satisfaction, that gardening for at least 2.5 hrs per week is linked with better mental health outcomes, and that gardening may be particularly beneficial for older adults.”

Selma Fjaestad, Jessica Mackelprang, Takemi Sugiyama, Manoj Chandrabose, Neville Owen, Gavin Turrell, and Jonathan Kingsley.  2023. “Association of Time Spent Gardening with Mental Wellbeing and Life Satisfaction in Mi-to-Late Adulthood.”  Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 87, 101993, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.101993