Finding time for nature through gardening is a great way to ‘boost self-esteem’ and promote a positive body image during the coronavirus lockdown, experts claim.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University surveyed people with and without gardens and found the green-fingered had a generally better state of mind.
Going into the garden increases happiness by making us feel more confident about our bodies – and that lifts our self-esteem, according to the research.
The finding comes at a time when millions are self-isolating at home – with gyms and sports clubs closed and few places to go and enjoy nature.
People can still go into the garden if they are fortunate enough to have one and researchers say tending an allotment is also allowed for daily exercise.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University surveyed people with and without gardens and found the green-fingered had a generally better state of mind.
Today there are an estimated 300,000 plotholders across the UK with a waiting list of more than 100,000 people around the country.
Study lead author Professor Viren Swami, a psychologist at Anglia Ruskin University, said positive body image is beneficial for psychological and physical resilience.’
It is a state of mind that also enables us to be at peace with our bodily imperfections, he explained.
A survey of 84 people from 12 urban allotment sites in north London found they had better psychological and physical health than 81 non gardeners in the area.
Questionnaires showed the former group had much higher levels of body appreciation, pride and functionality.
What is more, the longer participants spent gardening, the larger the improvement when they left their allotment.
‘My previous research has shown the benefits of being in nature more generally,’ said Swami. Adding that ‘increasing urbanisation has meant that many people now have less access to nature.’
‘The findings from this new study are important because they specifically show the significant benefits of spending time on allotments, which are typically quite small patches of green space in otherwise mainly urban environments.’
Last week Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove gave allotment holders the green light to tend their plots as long as social distancing is maintained.
He said: ‘I think it is perfectly sensible for people to go to an allotment.
‘It is in the very nature of an allotment that there is a safe distance between people working on individual allotments.’
As the Government has banned gatherings of more than two people, this must also be observed on allotments.
The link between green spaces and better mental and physical health has been known for years but the new study is the first to focus on allotments.
It adds to previous work by Professor Swami demonstrating exposure to natural environments helps to promote positive body image.
‘Ensuring that opportunities for gardening are available to all people is, therefore, vital and may help to reduce the long-term cost burden on health services.
Going into the garden increases happiness by making us feel more confident about our bodies – boosting self esteem, according to the research
‘One way to achieve this, beyond policies that ensure access to nature for all citizens, would be through the provision of dedicated and sustained community allotment plots,’ Swami said.
Body image can be influenced by celebrities, or the things we see on TV, online and in magazines.
A positive one is when we accept and appreciate the natural way we look without wanting to change ourselves – and don’t worry about how others see us.
A negative one means feeling unhappy, uncomfortable or upset about the way we think we look – people focus on the parts of their bodies they don’t like, and pay less attention to the parts they do like.
It can not only make us feel low or upset, it can also mean we might not take proper care of our bodies, such as by not eating well or getting enough sleep.
We can even get so hung up on our body image that we hardly think about anything else, according to the research team.
They say that gardening can counter some of those negative feelings.
The research has been published in the journal Ecopsychology.
