Healthier living Living in the countryside increases life expectancy

A home with many trees and plants improves overall health
Do you live near green areas, parks or rural areas? Then you could have gained health benefits through their place of residence. Scientists now found that people living in the countryside had an increased life expectancy.

What happens when people live near nature and green spaces? Researcher from Harvard T.S. Within a study conducted by women, Chan School of Public Health found that living in the countryside can increase our life expectancy and improve our health. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Environmental Health Perspectives".

Scientists found that living in the open with many trees and shrubs improves our mental health and increases life expectancy. (Image: Igor Mojzes / fotolia.com)

The study examined more than 108,000 women in the United States
For their study, researchers examined data from more than 108,000 women in the United States. All information was collected between the years 2000 and 2008, the researchers say. The physicians found that women living in a leafy environment with many plants and trees were about twelve percent less likely to die compared to women living in a non-green environment. In addition, in women, where much vegetation grew around their house, was about 34 percent lower rate of fatal respiratory disease, the doctors add. Such women also had a lower risk of developing cancer. The value was 13 percent lower than that of urban women, who had few plants and trees around, say the experts.

Greened place leads to the improvement of mental health
Although the study has shown that living in the countryside can extend our lives, it was not designed to establish a cause-and-effect relationship, the authors explain. Thus, further research is needed to determine the exact causes. We were really surprised that there were such strong associations between increased greening and rising life expectancy, study author Peter James of Harvard T. S. Chan School of Public Health in Boston explains. The researchers were even more astonished to find evidence that much of the impact of having a green home would also be related to improving mental health, James said in a press release.

Living in the countryside prevents depression and increases physical activity
Improved mental health, for example, makes it less likely to develop depression. Other benefits of having a green home in nature are that there are more opportunities for social interaction, people tend to do more physical exercise in these areas, and more physical activity generally, the experts explain. In addition, in rural areas or in green residential areas, a lower burden of air pollution is observed, the authors add. (As)