Drawing on survey responses from more than 1,300 residents of Washington State鈥檚 Puget Sound region, the research highlights that well-being is shaped not by a single aspect of nature, but by how ecological conditions, nearby environments, and daily interactions come together in people鈥檚 lives.
The found that people who regularly felt refreshed, relaxed, or mentally restored when spending time in nature tended to report higher life satisfaction. Spending time doing outdoor activities also mattered, reflecting the importance of accessible nearby places where people can walk, relax, and recreate in their surroundings as part of everyday life.
At the same time, the research showed that changes to the landscape itself are meaningful. People who had lived longer in the region reported lower life satisfaction in areas where nearby forests had declined, and higher life satisfaction where forest cover had increased. This suggests that environmental change is not just something people notice it can influence how they feel about their lives, particularly when it affects places they have known for many years.
Ecological features such as bird diversity, habitat diversity, and the amount of natural land nearby were also important, though in less obvious ways. These characteristics were linked to how often people experienced restoration and participated in outdoor activities, showing that biodiversity and healthy ecosystems help create places where people want to be and feel better when they are there. In this way, the ecological qualities of landscapes support human well-being by shaping the experiences nature makes possible.
鈥淣ature contributes to people鈥檚 lives in multiple, connected ways,鈥 said lead author Dr. Whitney Fleming of 黑料不打烊. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not only about having green space nearby, and it鈥檚 not only about how people feel in nature. The condition of the environment, how it changes over time, and how people engage with it all matter together.鈥
The study also found that not everyone experiences these benefits equally. Respondents who self-identified as white only reported feeling restored by nature and participating in outdoors activities more often than non-white and multiracial respondents, pointing to ongoing differences in access, safety, and inclusion in natural spaces.
Overall, the findings suggest that protecting nature and improving human well-being go hand in hand, but in ways that are more complex than often assumed. Biodiversity, forests, and healthy landscapes matter鈥攏ot only for their own sake, but because they shape the everyday experiences through which nature supports a good life.