A new psychology study suggests that spending time in nature can elevate daily happiness for most people, with the mood-boosting effects carrying through the entire day after a simple outdoor outing. The research found that both green spaces—such as parks, woodlands, and meadows—and blue spaces, including rivers, lakes, and wetlands, were linked to higher reported happiness on the day people visited. Importantly, this pattern held for adults regardless of whether they reported common mental health disorders like depression or anxiety, pointing to nature as a broadly accessible ally in emotional well-being.
The study comes at a time when mental health concerns loom large for many people worldwide, including in Thailand, where urban living, air quality challenges, and the pace of modern life can weigh on daily mood. Access to affordable, stigma-free mental health supports remains uneven, and researchers have been exploring whether time in nature could serve as a practical complement to conventional care. In Thailand, where families often gather in parks, along riverbanks, or around temple grounds, the idea that nature could offer everyday mood benefits resonates with cultural patterns of spending time outdoors as a communal, restorative activity.
The researchers set out to address a core question: do the emotional benefits of a nature visit linger beyond the moment, creating a positive ripple effect through the day? They designed their study around the idea of “yesterday mood” and analyzed how people’s self-reported happiness and anxiety on the day prior related to whether they had spent time in nature the day before. The approach helps isolate potential spill-over effects, rather than just measuring momentary feelings while outdoors. Lead authors—an assistant professor at a major European university and his colleagues—emphasized that while there is substantial evidence that fresh air and scenic environments can lift mood in the moment, less is known about how long those benefits last and whether they shape the entire day.
In a sample of more than two thousand Austrian adults surveyed in October 2020, participants reported their happiness and anxiety levels from the previous day and whether they had visited any of 29 different green or blue spaces in their leisure time. Roughly two out of three respondents had visited green spaces, and about one-third had visited blue spaces. Around 14 percent reported taking prescribed medication for anxiety or depression, a detail the researchers used to examine patterns across people with and without mental health conditions. By controlling for a broad array of factors such as age, gender, employment status, income satisfaction, marital status, disability, and the day of the week, the researchers aimed to isolate the influence of nature visits on daily well-being.
The findings were striking: visits to green or blue spaces were associated with higher happiness levels across the entire day, even after adjusting for those variables. The pattern remained generally consistent for people with and without common mental health disorders, underscoring nature’s potential as an inclusive tool for mood support. The lead author underscored this point, noting that the associations held for the broader population as well as for individuals managing anxiety or depression. The researchers also took care to minimize bias by measuring mood before asking participants about their nature visits, a methodological step designed to strengthen confidence in the observed associations.
However, the study also revealed nuances that merit attention. While happiness tended to rise with nature visits, the expected reduction in anxiety was not uniformly evident across all participants. In general, visiting nature did not straightforwardly lower anxiety levels. A more complex pattern emerged when focusing on people with mental health conditions: those who visited blue spaces tended to report higher anxiety on days containing blue space exposure compared with those who did not visit nature or who visited green spaces. This counterintuitive finding may reflect a form of emotional self-management—people experiencing anxiety could be seeking out blue spaces as a strategy to regulate their emotions. In other words, water environments might be used to help manage anxiety earlier in the day, even if overall daily anxiety did not decrease in a simple way. The study authors stressed that their data could not test this self-regulation hypothesis directly because the mood measures were aggregated for the whole day, rather than broken down by individual moments.
Beyond these patterns, the research reaffirmed known correlates of happiness and anxiety. Older adults, married individuals, people with greater financial comfort, and those reporting higher life satisfaction tended to report higher happiness. Conversely, respondents with disabilities or those who reported lower life satisfaction or lower income were more likely to report higher anxiety. These contextual factors illustrate that nature’s mood benefits operate within existing social and economic realities, offering mood-boosting potential that may complement, rather than replace, other supports.
The study’s limitations are real and instructive. Relying on self-reported mood for a single day makes it hard to draw definitive cause-and-effect conclusions. It is possible that happier people are simply more likely to seek outdoor time, rather than nature visits causing happiness. The researchers are forthright about this possibility and call for future work to address it with longitudinal designs, more precise mood tracking, and objective measures such as location data or physiological indicators. They also stress the value of qualitative research to understand how individuals perceive and use different natural settings to regulate their emotions, especially for people dealing with chronic stress or long-standing anxiety or depression.
Looking ahead, the researchers are part of a larger, multi-country European Union–funded project called RESONATE, which aims to test a range of nature-based therapies across different populations. This ongoing work signals a growing interest in integrating nature as a legitimate, scalable component of mental health strategies at a policy level. For Thailand, where many communities already value time with family and nature—visiting temples, strolling along riverfronts, or hiking in national parks—these findings provide a compelling scientific rationale to expand access to safe, well-maintained natural spaces and to weave nature-based activities into public health messaging and school and workplace wellness programs.
The Thai context adds unique texture to these global findings. In Bangkok and other urban centers, air quality and heat can limit outdoor time, yet the city has made notable strides in creating green corridors, park networks, and riverfront revitalization projects. For families, nature activities often align with Buddhist principles of mindfulness, balance, and respect for the environment. Outdoor time can be framed as a meditative practice or a family bonding ritual, a way to cultivate gratitude and resilience in the face of daily stresses. In rural and provincial settings, rivers, forests, and agroforestry landscapes provide accessible, low-cost opportunities to reconnect with nature without the need for formal therapy. If Thailand policymakers and private sectors invest in expanding and sustaining these ecosystems, the potential mood benefits could be more evenly distributed across different communities, helping to counter the urban-rural mental health gap.
There is also a cultural opportunity to translate these findings into practical everyday actions that resonate with Thai families. Simple, repeatable steps—such as a 20-minute walk in a nearby park, a weekend excursion to a nearby lake, or a family bike ride along a riverbank—could become part of routine health maintenance much like a regular check-up for blood pressure or sugar. Schools could incorporate short nature breaks into the day, encouraging students to step outside between classes or study periods to reset attention and mood. Employers might experiment with “nature time” as part of wellness programs, recognizing that a brief outdoor pause can support focus, collaboration, and morale in high-stress workplaces. Community leaders, temples, and local government agencies could prioritize the protection and enhancement of nearby green and blue spaces—creating safe, well-lit paths, accessible water features, and inclusive spaces that welcome people of all ages and abilities.
Yet, simply building parks or waterfronts is not enough. The study’s nuanced findings on blue spaces call for careful design and guidance. For people dealing with anxiety, blue spaces might offer relief for some while intensifying feelings for others, depending on personal history, the circumstances of the visit, and the time of day. Therefore, any public health strategy should accompany nature-based initiatives with clear information and support, ensuring people understand how to use outdoor spaces in ways that promote comfort and safety. In Thai communities, this could involve collaborating with local health workers, temple committees, and community organizations to provide accessible, well-managed nature venues and to educate the public about mindful, low-pressure nature experiences.
From a policy and infrastructure standpoint, the take-home message is straightforward: increasing access to safe green and blue spaces has the potential to improve daily happiness for a broad spectrum of the population. While these findings come from a single-country study and must be interpreted with caution, they align with a growing global emphasis on nature-based approaches to mental health. For Thailand, this means prioritizing urban planning that protects and expands parks and water-rich spaces, integrating nature into school curricula and workplace wellness, and ensuring vulnerable groups—from older adults to people with disabilities—can reach these spaces easily and safely. The ripple effects of such investments could extend beyond mood, potentially reducing stress-related health burdens, improving social cohesion, and enhancing overall quality of life in communities from the capital to the provinces.
In closing, the message is hopeful and practical. Nature is not a luxury; for many, it is an affordable, accessible, and culturally resonant resource that supports happiness and emotional regulation. Whether in the tranquil shade of a city park, along a calm river, or within a temple garden, these outdoor spaces offer a daily opportunity to reset, breathe, and reconnect with what matters most—family, faith, and community. The Thai habit of turning to nature for solace may be more scientifically grounded than ever, inviting policymakers, educators, and families to weave greener, bluer spaces into the fabric of everyday life for the benefit of all.