Can What’s Outside Your Window Kill Your Junk Food Cravings?
According to a new study published in the journal Health & Place, people who have access to greenery or who can see green spaces from their house have less intense and less frequent cravings for unhealthy food than those without nature views.
While the amount of physical activity participants got wasn’t a factor, previous research has shown that exercising outdoors can give your physical and mental wellbeing a boost.
Whenever you get outside for a ride—or even just a quick, middle-of-the-day break for fresh air—you probably notice your stress melt away a bit. But new research out of the U.K. suggests that just seeing greenery may have some serious positive effects on your health: People with green views may be less bothered by cravings for things like chocolate, caffeine, and alcohol.
In the study, published in the journal Health & Place, 149 participants ages 21 to 65 took an online survey that asked questions about their demographics, local environment, negative affect (depression, anxiety, etc.), and cravings for things like unhealthy food, chocolate, caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. Participants rated the intensity, imagery, and intrusiveness of their cravings on an 11-point scale.
Following the survey, researchers determined the percentage of green space the participants regularly use and see in their neighborhoods and from their houses.
The results? People with exposure to nature had less frequent and less strong cravings. And the effect was stronger for those who could actually see greenery from their home or who had access to gardens.
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While the study did not actually test whether increasing your exposure to nature—say, choosing a spot to work by a window overlooking a garden when you are used to staring down at an alley—actually can thwart cravings, it is possible that the mood-boosting results of a little green could help tamp them down.
“Contact with nature has previously been associated reduced negative mood states, which have themselves be linked to more intense and frequent cravings,” lead study author Leanne Martin, a grad student at the University of Plymouth’s school of psychology, told Runner’s World. “Our study built upon prior research, hypothesizing that increased nature exposure would be associated with lower cravings through reductions in negative mood.”
And while Martin noted that this was the case regardless of the participants’ physical activity levels, previous research has been shown that exercising in the outdoors boosts physical and mental wellbeing. However, according to Martin, “further research is required to establish whether these benefits might extend to cravings.” Regardless, making time to get a run in outdoors is never a bad idea.
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