Whether it's an urban park or a forested wilderness, being close to nature can benefit young people in unexpected ways.
The power of nature has been studied on many occasions. It has been found to calm children and enhance their academic performance. It can soothe and relax adults. Nowanother study, from the University of Southern California, has found that urban teenagers who grow up with more green space in the vicinity of their homes are less likely to be aggressive.
The researchers followed 1,287 adolescents from 2000 to 2012. The teens came from 640 families in the Greater Los Angeles region, both male and female, from mixed ethnic backgrounds. Parents filled out a Child Behavior Checklist repeatedly throughout the study period, while the amount of green space and vegetation in the neighborhood (up to 1 km / 0.6 miles from their homes) was assessed using satellite imagery.
The results are impressive:
Read more here.
