Over the past couple of years we have been exploring how contact with nature, especially in cities, can help reduce loneliness.

Loneliness - the feeling of distress resulting from a discrepancy between one’s desired and actual social relationships, is a universal experience, found irrespective of age, gender, socioeconomic status and culture. Prospective studies suggest that the degree of loneliness predicts subsequent mental health symptoms, including depression, alcoholism, suicidal behaviour and cognitive decline leading to Alzheimer’s disease, and physical health issues, including immune and cardiovascular disease.

To put things into perspective, while air pollution, obesity, and excessive alcohol use have been found to increase a person's mortality risk by 6%, 23%, and 37% respectively, loneliness increases the risk of death by 45%. Our research found that feelings of overcrowding increased loneliness by an average of 39%. But when people were able to see trees or hear birds, feelings of loneliness fell by 28%.

Our new research has been published in Scientific Reports and The Guardian .