How Spending Time In Nature Boosts Cognitive Capacity, Creativity & More

The team's results, just published in Nature, show that those who lived near the water were 4 to 6% less likely to have a mental health disorder. "Our findings support the notion that living near blue space could play an important role in reducing the burden of mental health inequalities in urban populations," the study reads. (Read the research here1.)

Dealing with the hotter temperatures of the future will take physical fitness and strength—something that today's kids are, on average, lacking. In this study, environmental exercise physiologist Shawnda Morrison, M.D., explores how high levels of obesity and physical inactivity among children could be setting up the next generation to be at increased risk of heat-related health threats like dehydration and heat stroke. (Read the research here2.)

Those who looked at areas with more natural features tended to score better on the test—likely because the setting freed up mental space for more flexible thinking, researchers speculate. (Read the research here3.)

It looks like sleep and insomnia treatments are going to continue to be—excuse the pun—hot-button issues in the years ahead. (Read the research here4.)

All signs point to the fact that nature exposure can indeed improve young people's mental health by promoting mindfulness and distracting from negative, ruminative thought patterns. (Read the research here5.)

Whether you attend a meeting for a local nonprofit, reach out to environmentalists you respect on social media, or simply share your climate hopes and dreams with a few friends, try to take at least one action to widen your support network this month. There's power in numbers, so there's no telling where this first step will lead you.