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Summary: The viral phrase “playing weed” may be more than Internet humor: Science shows that interacting with nature and music can significantly increase physical and emotional well-being. A new review found that combining these experiences, such as listening to music outdoors, gardening while singing, or caring for animals, can improve mood, reduce stress, and alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Unlike traditional therapies, music and nature-based approaches rely on multi-sensory engagement, encouraging people to reconnect with their environment and express themselves creatively. Researchers say these low-cost, accessible methods could help people of all ages, including trauma survivors and older adults with dementia, improve overall well-being.
Key facts
Double benefits: The combination of music and nature improves mood, reduces stress and supports recovery from anxiety and depression. Multisensory Healing: Therapies involve sight, sound, touch and smell, anchoring people in the present moment. Accessible therapy: These approaches are adaptable for trauma survivors, people with disabilities, veterans, and older adults.
Source: George Mason University
While the expression “touch weed” is most often used as a meme to jokingly tell other internet users to log off and venture outside, there is research-backed evidence that reconnecting with sensory experiences only found in the physical world is highly beneficial to overall well-being.
Michelle Hand, a licensed clinical social worker and holistic therapy researcher, collected data that music and nature-based therapy can improve emotional, mental, and physical health outcomes.
The reason? Unlike more traditional therapies, music and nature-based treatments prioritize multisensory experiences (e.g., potentially integrating sounds, sights, smells, and tactile stimuli that anchor people in the present moment), as well as choice and flexibility.
“The combined therapeutic use of music and nature facilitates self-expression, which can improve mood and emotional well-being, with the potential to simultaneously decrease anxiety, stress, and symptoms of depression, all of which can impact various aspects of daily life, health, and well-being,” said Hand, assistant professor of social work at George Mason University School of Public Health (CPH).
Previous studies examined music and nature separately, but this review explored different studies using both elements simultaneously. Hand, along with gerontology research specialist Emily Ihara and George Mason social work alumni Morgan Moore and Madison Shaw, identified 884 scholarly articles in six databases related to the combined therapeutic use of music and nature.
Of these, eight peer-reviewed articles met the search criteria. For example, articles featured activities in which participants could choose to care for animals, tend gardens, and sing and dance outdoors. Hand’s findings present limitless possibilities for personalized, drug-free mental health treatments.
“Music and nature-based strategies can offer low-cost, adaptive multisensory approaches for people of all ages, people living with disabilities, veterans and non-veterans, people who have experienced trauma, as well as older adults living with dementia,” Hand said.
So while “touching the grass” may have started out as a joke on social media, it’s actually pretty sound advice.
Key questions answered:
A: The combination provides a powerful multi-sensory experience that improves mood, reduces stress and encourages emotional expression.
A: They are flexible, low-cost and can be adapted for people of all ages and abilities, from children to older adults with dementia.
A: Yes. Reconnecting with natural environments and sensory experiences, especially when combined with music, has measurable benefits for physical and mental health.
About this mental health research news
Author: Maria Cunningham
Source: George Mason University
Contact: Mary Cunningham – George Mason University
Image: Image is credited to Neuroscience News.
Original research: Open access.
“Integrating music and nature: a scoping review of research on interventions involving both music- and nature-based strategies for mental health and well-being” by Michelle Hand et al. Frontiers in human neuroscience
Abstract
Integrating music and nature: A scoping review of research on interventions involving both music- and nature-based strategies for mental health and well-being
Introduction: Both music-related and nature-based therapeutic activities can improve well-being, physical, social, emotional and mental health, and recovery from post-traumatic stress. While music- and nature-based therapeutic approaches have been studied individually, research on holistically combining music- and nature-based therapeutic interventions is limited.
Therefore, a scoping review was conducted to map primary research on the combined use of music- and nature-based therapeutic strategies and their effects on overall well-being and, within this scope, potentially on mental and behavioral health outcomes.
Methods: Peer-reviewed articles were included that reported primary research findings on how (if at all) the combined use of music and nature-based interventions impacted well-being and therefore mental and behavioral health. All studies had to be reported in English.
Studies that did not involve music-related nature-based therapeutic activities, those that did not involve primary research, and articles without a clear discussion of potential impacts on well-being, mental or behavioral health were excluded.
After applying these inclusion and exclusion criteria, 884 potentially relevant peer-reviewed articles were identified, 23 of which were preliminarily selected after review of the abstract and title. After reading the full text, eight of these articles were considered eligible for the review and were analyzed thematically.
Results: Four themes were identified from the studies reviewed: (a) music and nature-based activities produce benefits in various aspects of well-being, (b) multiple activities can be combined and adapted for various contexts and populations, (c) more research is needed on the combined therapeutic use of music and nature, and (d) choice and expression, which music and nature can facilitate, should be prioritized.
The main focus of the studies reviewed was how music-based interventions in natural or outdoor settings can impact multiple aspects of well-being, particularly emotional well-being and, with this, improve mood.
Discussion: Results suggest that combining music and nature-based therapeutic approaches can improve mental and behavioral health by improving multiple aspects of well-being. For example, making music in natural settings can foster deep connections with nature and spiritual well-being. Implications for future research are provided, as more research is needed on the combined use of music and nature-based therapeutic activities.
