3 Good Things in Nature
Three Good Things In Nature
A ritual for paying attention
Similar to the “three good things” exercise, three good things in nature is a practice for strengthening both optimism and nature connection, both of which are linked to wellbeing.
How it works
At the end of each day, simply write down three things that you noticed about the natural world that were positive: the dusty shade of lavender that brushed the sky at sunrise, the way the sunlight filtered through the leaves on your evening walk, the whimsicality of a daisy peeping out of a crack in the concrete. Five key aspects to look for are:
Sensations
Changes over time
Active wildlife
Beauty
Weather elements
Three Good Things in Nature is a practice that fosters awareness of the beautiful things around us, which trains our brain to default more easily to presence and positivity. It is most effective when practiced for several days in a row. You might try this practice while on vacation in a natural place or wherever you live to make yourself more aware of the nature around you in an urban habitat.
The science
To test the effects of this intervention, 50 participants were asked to write down three good things they noticed in nature each day for five days. A control group noted three factual things. Two months later, the intervention group showed a sustained and statistically significant increase in measures of nature connectedness, which was associated with improvement in psychological health.
Nature connectedness
Studies on nature connectedness have shown that the degree of our connection with nature matters more for wellbeing than time or frequency of visits to nature. Nature connectedness has been shown to have a relationship to both hedonic wellbeing (feeling good in the moment and bodily pleasure) and eudaimonic wellbeing (which includes autonomy, meaning, self-acceptance, environmental mastery, and personal growth). Nature connectedness has also been linked to pro-environmental behavior.
Studies on the effects of the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku (aka forest bathing) have also shown that spending an extended period of time in a green space (particularly while doing something calming like walking, sitting or yoga) has a calming effect on the nervous system compared to urban environments.
Attention Restoration Theory
Some evidence suggests that time in nature can restore our concentration capabilities. This is because passive attention to natural stimuli, like watching a campfire or river) lets the part of our brain that is responsible for active concentration rest. Attention Restoration Theory posits that we have two forms of attention: voluntary or directed and involuntary or undirected. Voluntary attention is used to perform active cognitive tasks, like reading, planning, and problem-solving. Involuntary attention is triggered by external stimuli that are intriguing in large or small ways, like watching a dragonfly hum over a pond or noticing the patterns of the clouds.
Directed attention helps us to prioritize stimuli from the environment and ignore irrelevant information, but sustained use of directed attention eventually leads to mental fatigue, marked by increased distractibility and “brain fog”.
Allowing your mind and gaze to wander without intention gives your brain the chance to rest in the default mode network, which may restore directive attention capacity.