Original Article by: Jessica Stillman, Inc.comIf you could capture spending time in nature in pill form, it would be a wonder drug.
Studies show time with nature boosts the immune system, helps hospital patients recover more quickly, acts like a natural antidepressant, and reduces both blood pressure and the stress hormone cortisol.
At work exposure to nature can double your attention span, boost creativity, and improve productivity. Which is probably why many companies are leaning into ‘biophilic’ office design. [This] raises an interesting question: If you did manage to make a miracle medicine that mimicked the effects of spending time in nature, how much would it be worth economically? To get a sense of the value of time outdoors, Australian researchers recently crunched some numbers on park visits and health care costs.
Studies show time with nature boosts the immune system, helps hospital patients recover more quickly, and reduces blood pressure…
Clever Way to Calculate Value of the Benefits of Nature
The team, based out of the University of Adelaide, admitted in a recent article on The Conversation that “it’s hard to calculate the economic value of these benefits.” But they came up with a clever workaround to estimate the economic benefits of time in nature nonetheless.
First they gathered mobile phone data from Australia’s 20 national parks for a yearlong period. This allowed them to work out how many people had visited. Then they combined that data with health surveys that included information on whether respondents had spent time in parks and basic medical data.
After controlling for any underlying health conditions (to ensure it wasn’t just that healthy people go to the park more, but that going to the park makes people healthier), the team found “the difference in positive self-reported health between park visitors and those who don’t visit was between 2 percent and 5 percent.”
Pairing that with data on how much Australians spend on health care annually, what does that add up to?
“We found access to these green spaces could be worth $140 million a year in reduced healthcare costs,” Dividing $140 million by 1,453,271 visits works out to $96 per visit.” (That’s Australian dollars, the US equivalent is also around $96.)
Nature Indoors is an Economic Win for Business
Health care costs are different in different countries, which would doubtlessly drive the final number up or down in America. How much of that total gets paid out of pocket or by some kind of insurer will also vary. Finally, other scientists will no doubt argue over this study’s methodology — scientists always do.
The point here isn’t to say that every human being on the planet will save around $100 in health care costs by [being in nature]. .
…business owners might want to consider whether bringing a little nature into your office might be an economic win for your company.
The researchers aim is to argue that the government would save money in the long run if they make it easier to access parks. Healthcare business owners might want to consider whether bringing nature into your office might be an economic win for your company.
The most immediate takeaway though is just how valuable this simple, often overlooked health intervention can be. Putting a price tag on indoor plants reminds us that nature isn’t just good for the soul. It’s good for your body and ultimately even your budget too.
For the full article, go to: https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/scientists-worked-out-exactly-how-much-you-save-in-health-care-costs-by-spending-time-in-nature/