Why True Wellbeing Needs Nature — Even If We Think It Doesn’t

In today’s fast-paced, digitally connected world, it’s not uncommon to hear people say they live perfectly good, fulfilling lives without much – or even any exposure to nature.

A comfortable home, a vibrant city life, a well-rounded social circle, a fulfilling career – these are all, of course, important parts of wellbeing. But there’s something essential missing when we distance ourselves from the natural world; something woven so deeply into our humanity that we can’t always sense its absence immediately.

Even if modern living seems to have replaced our physical need for trees, rivers, meadows and wildlife, our emotional, psychological, and even physical health still remain quietly and profoundly tethered to nature’s rhythms.

Recent UK studies reaffirm what philosophy and ancient wisdom have long suggested: a life disconnected from nature is not a fully flourishing life, no matter how good it might appear to be on the surface.
Let’s explore why.

The Deep-Rooted Human-Nature Connection

Philosophers from Aristotle to Henry David Thoreau have long argued that flourishing (what Aristotle called eudaimonia) involves living in harmony with the natural world. Nature is not something ‘out there’ for us to visit occasionally; it’s a part of who we are.

In the field of environmental humanities today, scholars suggest that many modern societies suffer from what can be called "nature amnesia" — a forgetting, over generations, of how vital nature is to human identity and wellbeing.

This doesn't mean we must all move to forests or give up modern life. But it does mean that regular, meaningful contact with nature is not a luxury, it’s simply a need, as real as good food or deep sleep.

Recent UK Studies: What the Science Tells Us

The science supports what intuition has long whispered.

A 2020 study conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter, involving nearly 20,000 people across England, found that spending at least two hours a week in nature is associated with significantly higher health and wellbeing levels compared to those who had no nature contact.

Notably, it didn’t matter whether those two hours were achieved in a single visit or spread across the week. The benefits were clear either way.

Similarly, a 2023 report by Natural England revealed that 92% of adults who had visited green spaces in the previous 14 days reported positive impacts on their mental health. Those who had not accessed natural spaces were more likely to report feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and low mood.

The findings paint a consistent picture: meaningful contact with nature isn’t just pleasant, it’s deeply therapeutic. And its absence quietly shapes our emotional landscapes in ways we often don't immediately realise.

The Psychological and Emotional Benefits of Nature

Exposure to nature does more than lift the spirits. Studies from UK universities such as Derby and Sheffield have shown that natural environments lower cortisol levels, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve cognitive function. Green spaces even foster greater social connection, empathy, and community belonging which are all crucial ingredients for lasting wellbeing.

Social prescribing initiatives in the UK, now championed by NHS England, recognise this. Increasingly, GPs and link workers are prescribing nature through gardening groups, outdoor exercise, conservation volunteering, and walking therapies – alongside or even instead of medication.

Nature-based interventions aren't just an add-on; they’re becoming recognised as core tools for mental and physical health management.

Living Without Nature: What’s Missing?

Those who say they live fulfilling lives without nature may indeed feel content. For now. But what they may be missing is a deeper layer of wellbeing, the kind that’s harder to measure in the day-to-day bustle. Without nature, there can be a quiet erosion of wonder, of perspective, of emotional regulation, which are elements that contribute to resilience, creativity, empathy, and even a sense of purpose.

Nature offers what philosopher David Abram beautifully called the more-than-human world; a rich, non-verbal conversation that nourishes us in ways human-made environments simply cannot. Without this nourishment, our inner worlds can become narrower, more anxious, and less connected, both to ourselves and to others even if material life seems good on the surface.

Nature and Kindness: The Invisible Thread

Kindness is bigger than how we treat each other; it’s about how we relate to the whole web of life. Nature reminds us we are part of something larger, a vast, breathing, interconnected community. This realisation naturally fosters humility, compassion, and a willingness to care, not just for ourselves, but for others and the planet too.

A study by the University of Derby found that individuals with stronger emotional connections to nature are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviours. In short: feeling close to nature makes us kinder, and real, world-changing kindness is contagious.

Bringing Nature Back Into Everyday Life

Reconnecting with nature doesn’t mean uprooting your life. It can begin with the smallest shifts:

•    A 20-minute walk through a park.
•    Taking meetings outdoors whenever possible.
•    Growing herbs on a windowsill.
•    Simply pausing to notice the sound of the wind, the curve of a branch, the flight of a bird.

Nature doesn't demand grandeur from us — only presence. And in return, it offers a kind of restoration that no screen, no purchase, no accomplishment can fully replace.

The Invitation

If you’ve been living a ‘perfectly good life’ without much nature, you deserve more.

You deserve the wider, deeper flourishing that comes when you step into the living world, however briefly or imperfectly. You deserve the sense of awe, connection, and restoration that only nature can offer.

It’s helpful to see beauty and wellbeing not as escapes from the world, but as ways to belong more fully to it, and that includes belonging to nature.

So, the next time you wonder whether you really need that park visit, forest walk, or moment under the sky — trust that you do. Your wellbeing, your community, and even your kindness may depend on it.