Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Young people in India’s largest cities who regularly spend time in nature report significantly higher levels of mental well-being, according to a study by Indian Institute of Management Indore.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, the study -- co-authored by IIM Indore faculty member Prof Raina Chhajer -- surveyed 2,283 young adults aged 18–25 from the country’s 25 most populated cities.
It examined how access to and engagement with natural environments — including parks, gardens, rivers and lakes — affect psychological well-being and mental distress.
The findings point to a clear connection: youth who lived within one to three kilometers of green or blue spaces and visited them regularly for recreation scored higher on well-being indicators. In contrast, those spending more than eight hours a day indoors showed notably lower scores.
One of the study’s most striking insights was the role of “nature connectedness” — a personal sense of identification with and closeness to nature, measured using the Inclusion of Nature in Self (INS) scale.
This subjective connection, the researchers found, was among the strongest predictors of higher well-being and lower distress, surpassing even physical proximity to natural areas.
However, the study revealed a disparity between green and blue spaces. While parks, gardens, and tree-lined streets were consistently linked to positive mental health, water bodies such as rivers and lakes showed no comparable benefits.
The authors suggest this may be due to the limited accessibility and poor maintenance of blue spaces in Indian cities, often affected by pollution or restricted entry.
The implications are far-reaching. The researchers argue that in an era of rising digital fatigue, social isolation, and workplace stress, integrating nature into daily routines should be a public health and organisational priority.
They recommend strategies such as reimagining offices to include natural elements, encouraging walking meetings and “nature breaks,” and incorporating outdoor activities into employee wellness programmes.
Educational institutions could also benefit by weaving nature engagement into campus life, from green campus designs to outdoor extracurricular activities and mindfulness exercises in natural settings.
“This study shows that mental wellness in urban India may not only be shaped by therapy or technology,” Chhajer said. “Regular, meaningful engagement with nature could be a vital ingredient in building resilience among young people,” he added.
As India’s cities expand and life becomes increasingly screen-bound, the research offers a timely reminder: the route to mental well-being may well begin with a walk in the park.
