Does walking in the woods make you less stressed?
Effects of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on levels of cortisol as a stress biomarker: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Cortisol was lower in forest groups even before the intervention began.
Most people assume the forest causes the drop—but if cortisol was already lower before the walk, the forest might not be the cause at all. It could be selection bias or pre-existing differences.
Practical Takeaways
Spend 20 minutes in any green space—park, garden, or tree-lined street—without your phone.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Cortisol was lower in forest groups even before the intervention began.
Most people assume the forest causes the drop—but if cortisol was already lower before the walk, the forest might not be the cause at all. It could be selection bias or pre-existing differences.
Practical Takeaways
Spend 20 minutes in any green space—park, garden, or tree-lined street—without your phone.
Publication
Journal
International Journal of Biometeorology
Year
2019
Authors
M. Antonelli, Grazia Barbieri, D. Donelli
Related Content
Claims (6)
Being around trees can help lower your stress hormone levels, making you feel calmer.
There aren't many studies on forest bathing and stress hormones, and the ones we have aren't all that reliable—so we can't say for sure yet if walking in the woods lowers cortisol.
People who pick forest walks tend to have lower stress hormones even before they start, which might mean they were already less stressed—or the kind of people who like forests are just different from those who prefer city walks.
Being in a forest for a little while might help lower your stress hormone levels a bit, compared to being in a city — it’s like nature gives your body a little calm-down break.
Different studies show wildly different results on whether walking in the woods lowers stress hormones—sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t—and that’s probably because things like how long you stay, what time of year, or even what you expect to happen are messing with the results.