When 12-year-old Maya visits her local city park with her grandma, she probably feels something completely different from what her older brother feels when he camps alone in a national forest for a weekend. And that difference matters more than we might think.
A new study from the University of Michigan found that nature experiences in the United States are almost always positive, but the psychological benefits people get from being outdoors depend heavily on the type of natural space they visit. Researchers examined nearly 400,000 real social media posts describing outdoor experiences across the country. They used advanced computer programs to identify common themes in hundreds of thousands of posts, revealing patterns that would have been impossible to detect by reading them one at a time.
The study found that city parks were more commonly linked to family gatherings and casual recreation, while rural landscapes inspired more posts about adventure and exploration. Hiking, camping, hunting, photography and spending time with loved ones all showed up frequently in the data, and nearly all of these posts expressed positive feelings.
Kate Schertz, a psychology research fellow at the University of Michigan and the study's lead author, said the findings challenge the idea that all green spaces provide the same experience. "Our findings show that nature isn't a single, uniform experience," Schertz said. "The psychological benefits people receive depend not only on spending time outdoors, but also on the kind of natural environment they're experiencing."
The research adds to a growing body of evidence showing that nature supports happiness and well-being. It also suggests that different landscapes offer different kinds of mental health benefits.
"Nature is psychologically diverse," Schertz said. "A visit to a city park can offer something very different from a day in the wilderness, and both experiences have value."
The findings have real-world implications. As cities grow and climate change reshapes the landscapes available to people, communities may need to think carefully about preserving not just green space, but many different kinds of natural spaces. Protecting nature isn't simply about preserving beautiful places, the researchers argue. It's also about preserving the many experiences those places make possible.
"Our results remind us that access to nature isn't simply about having green space nearby," Schertz said. "Different environments foster different experiences, relationships and connections with the natural world."
The study was published in the journal Environment and Behavior.