Women who live near nature live longer
by Ariana Pezeshki
A paper published by Environmental Health Perspectives has found that women who live in areas surrounded by vegetation have “considerably decreased mortality rates” than their slick urban counterparts.
The study – which monitored data from more than 108,000 women in the U.S. between 2000 and 2008 – found that women surrounded by wide, green, open spaces experienced 34 per cent lower rates of respiratory-related deaths, and were 13 per cent less likely to die of cancer.
All in all, women who lived in the city experienced a 12 per cent lower overall mortality rate than those living their best life in the great outdoors.
Of these findings, Peter James, research associate at Harvard Chan School Department of Epidemiology also said the researchers “were even more surprised to find evidence that a large proportion of the benefit from high levels of vegetation seems to be connected with improved mental health.”
And the paper’s authors estimated that just living in vegetation-rich areas could lower depression and stress levels by 30 per cent.
So… anyone coming with us?!