A recent study led by the University of Vienna reveals that nature exposure can effectively alleviate acute physical pain. Surprisingly, simply watching nature videos was enough to reduce pain intensity and brain activity associated with pain. The findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest that nature-based therapies could become valuable complementary approaches to pain management.
Pain processing is a complex phenomenon, as explained by Max Steininger, the study lead and doctoral student. To explore how nature affects pain perception, Steininger and his team exposed participants to three types of videos: nature scenes, indoor scenes, and urban scenes. During this time, participants rated their pain while their brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
The results were striking: participants reported lower pain levels when watching nature scenes, and fMRI scans revealed reduced activity in brain regions associated with pain processing. This study suggests that nature can modulate both the emotional and sensory components of pain, making it a promising tool for pain management.
Unlike placebo treatments that primarily alter emotional responses to pain, nature exposure reduced the brain’s sensory processing of pain. “Pain is like a puzzle, with different brain areas processing different aspects,” explained Steininger. “Nature exposure changed how the brain processed the raw sensory signals of pain, rather than just altering the emotional response to it.”
Claus Lamm, head of the research team, noted that previous studies showed that people consistently report feeling less pain in natural environments. This study provides the first scientific explanation for why this occurs: nature helps the brain process both the source and intensity of pain more effectively.
The findings indicate that nature-based therapies, including virtual nature experiences like videos or virtual reality, could offer simple and accessible methods for pain relief. These results pave the way for integrating nature into both private and medical settings to complement traditional pain treatments.
This study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of Exeter, the University of Birmingham, and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, highlighting the growing field of interdisciplinary research into the therapeutic effects of nature.
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