Answers to important questions:
Question: What happens when music and nature are used together in therapy?
A: This combination creates a powerful multi-sensory experience that elevates mood, reduces stress, and encourages emotional expression.
Q: Why are music and nature therapies considered accessible?
A: They are flexible, economical and can be adapted for people of all ages and abilities, from children to seniors with dementia.
Question: Is there any real scientific basis for “touching the grass”?
A: Yes. Reconnecting with nature and sensory experiences, especially when combined with music, has significant benefits for mental and physical health.
Summary: The viral expression “touch the grass” may be more than just an internet joke. Science shows that enjoying nature and music can significantly improve physical and emotional well-being. A new study finds that combining these experiences — like listening to music outdoors, gardening while singing, or caring for animals — can improve mood, reduce stress, and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Unlike traditional therapies, music- and nature-based approaches rely on multi-sensory stimulation, which encourages people to reconnect with their environment and express themselves creatively. Researchers say these accessible and affordable methods can help people of all ages, including trauma patients and older adults with dementia, improve their overall well-being.
Key data
- Double benefit: The combination of music and nature improves mood, reduces stress, and promotes recovery from anxiety and depression.
- Multisensory healing: Therapies focus on sight, hearing, touch, and smell, connecting people with the here and now.
- Accessible Treatments: These methods are suitable for trauma survivors, people with disabilities, veterans, and older adults.
Source: George Mason University
While the phrase “touch the grass” is commonly used as a meme to jokingly encourage other internet users to disconnect and go outside, there is scientific evidence that reconnecting with sensory experiences found only in the physical world is very beneficial for overall health.
Michelle Hand, a licensed clinical social worker and holistic therapy researcher, has compiled data confirming that music therapy and nature therapy can improve emotional, mental, and physical health.
The reason? Unlike more traditional therapies, music and nature therapies prioritize multi-sensory experiences (for example, potentially sounds, sights, smells, and tactile stimuli that anchor people in the present moment), as well as choice and flexibility.
Hand, an assistant professor of public health at Georgetown University’s School of Social Work, stated that the combined therapeutic use of music and nature is highly beneficial. This combination promotes self-expression, which in turn helps to improve mood and emotional well-being.
Furthermore, she explained that this dual-therapy approach can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. Collectively, these positive changes have the potential to impact various crucial aspects of an individual’s daily life, overall health, and general well-being.
Previous studies have analyzed music and nature separately, but this review examined several studies that used both elements simultaneously. Hand, along with gerontological research specialist Emily Ahara and George Mason alumni Morgan Moore and Madison Shaw, identified 884 scientific articles in six databases on the combined therapeutic use of music and nature.
Eight of these peer-reviewed articles met the search criteria. For example, articles were collected in which participants could engage in activities such as caring for animals, gardening, and singing and dancing outdoors. The results at hand demonstrate the unlimited possibilities for personalized, non-pharmacological mental health care.
Hand highlighted that music and nature-based strategies offer highly adaptable, low-cost, multi-sensory approaches for a wide array of populations. These accessible therapeutic options can benefit people of all ages, including those with disabilities, veterans and non-veterans, and individuals currently experiencing trauma.
She added that these combined strategies are particularly valuable for older adults with dementia. The dual approach provides a versatile and beneficial resource for many different groups seeking improved well-being.
While the “touch the grass” thing may have started as a joke on social media, it’s actually really good advice.
About this mental health research news
Author: Mary Cunningham
Source: George Mason University
Contact: Mary Cunningham – George Mason University
Image: The image is credited to StackZone Neuro
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 wellbeing” by Michelle Hand et al. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Abstract
Integrating music and nature: An exploratory review of research on interventions involving both music and nature-based strategies for mental health and well-being.
Introduction: Both music-based and nature-based therapeutic activities can improve well-being, physical, social, emotional, and mental health, as well as recovery from post-traumatic stress. While music-based and nature-based therapeutic approaches have been studied separately, there is little research examining the overall combination of music-based and nature-based therapeutic interventions.
Therefore, a research review was conducted to identify primary research on the combined use of music and nature-based therapeutic strategies and their effects on overall well-being. Within this framework, mental and behavioral health outcomes can also be considered.
Methods: Peer-reviewed articles with primary research findings on how (if applicable) the combined use of music and nature-based interventions affected well-being and, consequently, mental and behavioral health were included. All studies had to be published in English.
Studies that do not include nature and music-related therapeutic activities, studies that do not involve basic research, and articles that do not present a clear analysis of potential effects on health, mental health, or behavioral health were excluded.
After applying these inclusion and exclusion criteria, 884 potentially relevant peer-reviewed articles were identified, of which 23 were tentatively selected after reviewing the abstract and title. After reading the full text, eight of these articles were considered for review and thematic analysis was performed.
Results: Four themes emerged from the reviewed studies: (a) music and nature-related activities provide benefits across multiple aspects of well-being, (b) multiple activities can be combined and adapted to different contexts and populations, (c) more research is needed on the combined therapeutic use of music and nature, and (d) music selection and expression, in accordance with nature, can be tailored to the individual.
The main aim of the reviewed studies was to analyze how outdoor music or nature-based interventions can affect various aspects of well-being, especially emotional well-being, and thus improve mood.
Discussion: The results suggest that combining music and nature-based therapies can improve mental and behavioral health by enhancing various aspects of well-being. For example, making music in a natural environment can increase a deeper connection with nature and spiritual well-being. Implications for future research are presented, as more study is needed on the combination of music and nature-based therapeutic activities.
