A Major Psychology Study Finds Nature Videos May Calm the Brain Faster Than City Scenes

For decades, psychologists have explored whether exposure to nature can help people recover from stress. A new large-scale study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology now provides updated evidence suggesting that even watching videos of forests and natural environments may support emotional recovery after stressful experiences.

The research builds on a well-known psychology study from 1991 that first proposed a simple but influential idea: viewing nature scenes can help calm the mind and body. Since then, nature imagery has become common in hospitals, workplaces, schools and wellness spaces.

The new international study revisited that original finding using modern scientific methods, larger sample sizes and physiological monitoring tools.

Study

The research was led by Agnes van den Berg, an environmental psychology researcher at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

Ten research teams from the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands collaborated on the project. Together, they recruited 959 participants with an average age of 22 years.

The scientists wanted to examine whether the calming effects of nature exposure remained consistent across different locations and modern populations.

According to van den Berg, the project was also designed to support transparency and replication within psychology research.

Stress

To create a controlled stress response, all participants first watched a 10-minute video showing industrial workplace accidents. The scenes included slips, falls and heavy machinery accidents accompanied by tense background music.

Researchers then measured participants’ emotional and physical reactions.

After the stress-inducing video, participants were randomly assigned to watch one of six environmental videos lasting 10 minutes each.

Two videos featured natural environments:

• A forest
• A stream

The remaining four videos showed urban settings, including:

• Busy pedestrian areas
• Quiet pedestrian streets
• Heavy traffic scenes
• Quiet traffic environments

Emotion

The psychological findings closely matched the original 1991 study.

Participants who watched the natural scenes reported:

• Increased positive emotions
• Reduced anger
• Lower aggression levels

Those who watched urban videos also recovered somewhat over time, but the emotional improvements were stronger among participants exposed to nature scenes.

Researchers measured emotional responses using questionnaires completed at three stages:

1. Before the stress video
2. Immediately after the stress video
3. After the environmental video

The stress video successfully increased fear, sadness and anger across participants before the recovery phase began.

Body

The study also examined how the body physically responded to stress and recovery.

Researchers monitored two systems within the autonomic nervous system:

The sympathetic system increases heart rate and sweating during stress. The parasympathetic system helps the body return to a calmer state after danger passes.

Interestingly, the physical findings were more complex than the emotional results.

The fight-or-flight response decreased for all participants during recovery, regardless of whether they watched nature or urban scenes.

However, participants who watched the forest video showed faster activation of the body’s calming parasympathetic system, often referred to as the “rest-and-digest” response.

According to van den Berg, this effect may reflect activation of the body’s “vagal brake,” a biological feedback system that signals safety after stress.

Forest

One surprising finding involved the difference between forests and streams.

The forest video produced clear calming physiological effects, particularly during the first three minutes of viewing.

The stream video, however, did not create the same physical response.

Researchers suspect the loud sound of rushing water may have reduced the relaxing effect for some participants. In fact, the body’s recovery response during the stream video resembled responses seen during busy urban scenes.

This suggests that not all natural environments affect stress recovery in the same way.

Modern

Van den Berg noted that she was surprised the calming effects remained visible among younger participants.

Many participants belonged to Generation Z, a demographic accustomed to fast-moving digital content from platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

Researchers initially expected that a stationary 10-minute forest video might feel unengaging to modern viewers.

Despite this, measurable calming responses still appeared.

The strongest relaxation effects occurred within the first few minutes of viewing the forest environment.

Meaning

The researchers emphasized that the findings should not be overstated.

The study does not suggest that nature videos replace medical or psychological treatment. The observed effects were relatively modest and occurred after short-term experimental stress.

Researchers also cautioned against framing the findings as “nature good, city bad.”

Urban environments can provide important social, cultural and psychological benefits that were not represented fully in the experiment.

Still, the results suggest that even indirect contact with nature may support stress recovery in daily life.

According to van den Berg, simple experiences such as looking out a window, viewing a nature poster or watching natural scenery may provide small but meaningful psychological benefits.

Future

The research team hopes future studies will examine additional factors that influence how people respond to natural environments.

Possible influences include:

• Biodiversity
• Soundscapes
• Familiarity
• Cultural meaning
• Perceived safety
• Childhood experiences with nature

Van den Berg’s future work will also explore how individual differences such as age, gender, chronic stress levels and personal connection to nature shape emotional recovery.

As environmental psychology continues evolving, researchers are increasingly studying how both real and simulated nature experiences may contribute to mental and physical well-being over time.

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