Heading outdoors keeps lockdown blues at bay
Study finds time spent outdoors is associated with higher levels of happiness
Newswise A new study has found that spending time outdoors and switching off our devices is associated with higher levels of happiness during a period of COVID-19 restrictions.
Previous academic studies have indicated how being outdoors, particularly in green spaces, can improve mental health by promoting more positive body image, and lowering levels of depression and anxiety.
Jointly led by academics from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in the UK, the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences in Austria, and Perdana University in Malaysia, this new research examined how levels of happiness during a national lockdown were affected by being outdoors, the amount of daily screen time (use of TV, computer and smartphone) and feelings of loneliness.
Dr Sharon Morein of Anglia Ruskin University
- Credit: Anglia Ruskin University
Psychologists from Anglia Ruskin University will discuss children’s Covid-19 fears and offer practical advice about how parents and carers can help.
The free event takes place online on Thursday, January 14 from 7pm to 8pm.
Building on their own academic research and clinical experience, Dr Sharon Morein, Dr Debora Vasconcelos e Sa and Dr Dora Bernardes will provide examples of the kind of concerns some young people may express, discuss what can be done to help and what should be avoided, and answer questions from the online audience.
A selfless, third-year university student will receive a medal from the Queen after being recognised for her years of tireless voluntary work. Courtney-Lee Collins, who lives in Aveley and is a law student at Anglia Ruskin University, has been awarded a British Empire Medal for her continued work for a variety of charitable groups and organisations. The 21-year-old has raised substantial amounts of money for charities including Follow Your Dreams, Essex Air Ambulance, the Salvation Army, Clic Sargent, Abbie’s Army, Treetops School and Endometriosis UK. She has donated more than three and a half tonnes of food to Thurrock food bank and donated hundreds of items to hospitals, care homes and charities in the area.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University studied 286 people from Austria during a strict lockdown in April 2020 that limited time they could spend outside.