Modern life is fast, urban and highly digital. Yet the human body evolved in natural environments.
Song, Ikei and Miyazaki’s 2016 review explored physiological effects of nature therapy research in Japan. The authors note that humans evolved over millions of years, while modern urban environments represent only a very small part of human history. They suggest that the gap between natural settings and highly artificial urban surroundings may contribute to stress in modern people.
The review examined Japanese studies on nature therapy, including forests, urban green space, plants and wooden materials. It found accumulating evidence across physiological indicators such as brain activity, autonomic nervous activity, endocrine activity and immune activity.
Nature as a condition for calm
For forest therapy, this research is foundational. It helps explain why nature does not merely feel pleasant. Natural environments may support measurable physiological relaxation.
This includes shifts in stress markers, heart rate variability, blood pressure, nervous system activity and immune-related measures. The authors also highlight the potential role of nature therapy in preventive medicine, while noting the need for further long-term studies and research across wider age groups and health conditions.
For everyday life, the message is beautifully practical. We do not need to force the body into calm. We can place it in conditions where calm becomes more likely.
A guided forest therapy session does exactly that. It slows the pace, softens attention and allows the body to remember something older than stress: its relationship with the living world.
Further reading: Song, Ikei and Miyazaki 2016 review.