Unspoiled Environments Provide Mental Health Enhancement for Young Adults
In a recent review published in Emerging Adulthood (2025), the positive impact of nature on the wellbeing of young adults transitioning into adulthood has come to light. This research highlights the significant role green spaces play in providing emotional support, promoting mental clarity, and fostering social connections.
Nature serves as a nonjudgmental space for self-reflection, offering individuals a tranquil environment to contemplate their identities and values. It also provides opportunities for social interaction, allowing young adults to build meaningful connections through shared activities or casual conversations.
Universities can take advantage of these benefits by integrating accessible and inviting green spaces, such as campus lawns and tree-lined walkways. These spaces not only promote relaxation and reflection but also support mental health. Urban planners should prioritise increasing urban tree cover and public parks to mitigate heat and improve air quality, with tree cover significantly reducing heat-related deaths and mental health risks.
Public health agencies can further enhance these benefits by promoting "nature prescriptions" and partnering with organisations to encourage nature engagement. In fact, nature-based interventions have outperformed some traditional mental health interventions in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms in youth.
Cross-sector coordination among universities, urban planners, and public health agencies is essential for maximising the benefits of nature-based interventions on young adult wellbeing. Approaches tailored to specific urban contexts and demographic needs, supported by data sharing and community involvement, will further enhance the impact of these interventions.
Future research could explore how diverse experiences and identities shape relationships with nature. Gender-sensitive approaches to green space design may be important, as female participants reported more guilt about taking breaks and greater safety concerns.
It's worth noting that the studies included in the review primarily focused on students, limiting the generalizability to non-student populations. However, the research emphasises that even small, everyday experiences in nature can support mental health, and contact with nature doesn't need to be intense or time-consuming to be beneficial.
Simple sensory details, such as the feel of fresh air or the sound of birdsong, played a significant role in these experiences of mindfulness. These moments of connection with nature can serve as an escape from the noise and stimulation of urban life, promoting experiences of mindfulness and psychological restoration.
While nature may help individuals manage stress and strengthen coping resources during a pivotal life stage, it cannot solve structural issues like poverty or housing insecurity. As mental health services face growing demand, especially among younger populations, the role of natural environments in public wellbeing deserves more attention.
In conclusion, nature offers a powerful source of emotional support during the transition into adulthood. By promoting and integrating green spaces, we can help young adults find calm, relief, and connection, contributing to their overall wellbeing and mental health.
- The positive impact of nature on young adults transitioning into adulthood, as highlighted in the Emerging Adulthood (2025) review, includes emotional support and mental clarity.
- Green spaces serve as a platform for fostering social connections, allowing young adults to build meaningful relationships through shared activities or casual conversations.
- To harness the benefits of nature for young adult wellbeing, universities can integrate accessible and inviting green spaces, and urban planners should prioritize increasing urban tree cover and public parks.
- Public health agencies can further advance these benefits by promoting "nature prescriptions" and partnering with organizations to encourage nature engagement.
- Future research should explore how diverse experiences and identities shape relationships with nature, with gender-sensitive approaches to green space design potentially being important.
- Cross-sector coordination among universities, urban planners, and public health agencies is crucial for maximizing the benefits of nature-based interventions, with approaches tailored to specific urban contexts and demographic needs being paramount.
- While nature cannot solve structural issues like poverty or housing insecurity, it can help individuals manage stress and strengthen coping resources during a pivotal life stage, making its role in public wellbeing and mental health more relevant than ever.
