Five ways hiking is good for the soul

Hiking in nature is not only good for our bodies, it’s good for our moods, our minds, and our relationships, too

The experience of hiking is unique, research suggests, conveying benefits beyond what you receive from typical exercise. Not only does it oxygenate your heart, it helps keep your mind sharper, your body calmer, your creativity more alive, and your relationships happier.

And, if you’re like me and happen to live in a place where nearby woods allow for hiking among trees, all the better: ‘Forest bathing’ Evidence suggests that being around trees may provide extra benefits, perhaps because of cetain orgain compounds that trees exude that boost our mood and our overall psychological well-being.

The term emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere”). The purpose was twofold: to offer an eco-antidote to tech-boom burnout and to inspire residents to reconnect with and protect the country’s forests.

The Japanese quickly embraced this form of ecotherapy. In the 1990s, researchers began studying the physiological benefits of forest bathing, providing the science to support what we innately know: time spent immersed in nature is good for us. While Japan is credited with the term shinrin-yoku, the concept at the heart of the practice is not new. Many cultures have long recognized the importance of the natural world to human health.

1. Hiking keeps your mind sharper than many other forms of exercise

Research suggests that hiking doesn’t just feel good, it might also keep my brain in top shape. All exercise is good for us, getting your heart rate up and working out your lungs keep you feeling younger and stronger. Exercise also helps your brain thanks to the extra oxygenation that comes with it.

But hiking involves something many other forms of exercise don’t: trails. That means it requires navigating in a world that’s not totally predictable. Slippery dirt, overhanging branches and hidden obstacles, trail markers, and wild animals crossing your path all of the things you might encounter on a trail require micro- and macro-adjustments to your route, which is good for your brain.

As Daniel Levitin explains in his book, Successful Aging, hiking exercises the part of your brain designed to help you navigate through life, for example, the restrosplenial cortex and the hippocampus, which aids in memory, too which is why hiking not only helps your heart, but helps your mind stay sharp, as well.

2. Hiking helps to keep you calm and happy

Exercise in general can be a great stress-buster. But what sets hiking apart from other forms of exercise is that it’s done outdoors in a natural setting.

Research is quite clear on the benefits of being in nature while exercising. studies have found that, compared to walking in a cityscape or along a road, walking in green spaces helps us recover from “attention overload” the mental fatigue that comes from living and working in a world where computers and cell phones are a constant distraction.

Being in nature is calming, too, and studies have found that people who spend time walking in nature are less anxious and suffer less rumination (thinking about the same worries or regrets over and over again), which should help protect against depression.

While it’s not totally clear why nature provides these psychological perks, researcher Craig Anderson and others have found that being in nature encourages feelings of awe a state of wonder coupled with a sense of being small in the presence of something bigger than yourself. Awe is a powerful emotion that has many benefits, including improving your mood and making you feel more generous.

3. Hiking helps your relationships

It may be obvious that hiking is good for our physical and emotional health. But there is mounting evidence that it helps our relationships, too.

One reason is that many of us hike with other people, and exercising together can produce special feelings of closeness and a sense of safety. having a friend along can be a lovely way to connect with another person in a setting free of other distractions.

hiking alone helps me in my relationships, likely for all of the reasons above it helps me reduce my stress, refreshes my depleted attention, and produces awe. And, when I’m feeling good, those effects spill over into my interactions with others once I return from the hike.

For anyone who spends a lot of time caregiving for other people, it can be rejuvenating to let go of that responsibility for a bit and take to a trail. After all, it can’t help but refresh you when you give yourself a break, making you more emotionally available to others afterward.

4. Hiking can increase our creativity

I’m sure I’m not alone in finding that walks in nature let my mind wander freely in creative directions.

Though we often read about philosophers or artists who’ve found creative inspiration in natural spaces, science is just beginning to document the connections between being in nature and creativity.

Some scholars believe that these benefits for creativity have to do with how natural settings allow our attention to soften and our minds to wander in ways that can help us connect disparate ideas that are swirling around in our minds. Others suggest that the spaciousness and unpredictability in natural scenery somehow enhance creativity.

5. Hiking helps cement a positive relationship with the natural world

Besides being good for us, hiking may also help the world around us. After all, if we have the stamina to walk places and cover longer distances, we could use cars less and reduce our carbon footprint.

Beyond that, hiking benefits our planet indirectly, because it increases our connection to nature. Developing a positive relationship with the natural world can help us to care about its fate, making us more committed to conservation efforts.

At least one study has suggested that when we have a personal connection to nature, we are more likely to want to protect it. That means experiences in nature like hiking can be mutually beneficial, helping people and the earth.

This all goes to show that hiking may be one of the best ways to move your body, improvements in my mood, creativity, and relationships, as well as a growing sense of spiritual connection to the natural world.