College can be a very stressful time for young adults, and this can be very taxing on their mental health. Fortunately there is a very accessible remedy for this stress — nature. Recent research shows that spending as little as 10 minutes in a natural setting can help relieve students of their college stress.

对于年轻人来说，大学是一段压力很大的时期，这对他们的心理健康并不好。幸运的是，有一种很容易缓解这种压力的方法——大自然。最近的研究表明，只要在自然环境中待上10分钟，就可以帮助学生缓解在大学中的压力。

The review from Cornell University evaluates numerous studies on nature’s effects on the mental health of college students to find an effective “nature prescription” for students.

康奈尔大学的这一综述文章评估了大量关于大自然对大学生心理健康影响的研究，目的是为学生找到一种有效的“大自然处方”。

“It doesn’t take much time for the positive benefits to kick in — we’re talking 10 minutes outside in a space with nature,” says lead author Gen Meredith, associate director of the Master of Public Health Program and lecturer at the College of Veterinary Medicine, in a media release. “We firmly believe that every student, no matter what subject or how high their workload, has that much discretionary time each day, or at least a few times per week.”

“这些积极的好处不用花很长时间就会表现出来，我们现在谈论的只是在户外与大自然亲密接触的10分钟时间。”研究报告的主要撰写人、公共卫生硕士项目副主任兼兽医学院讲师Gen Meredith在一次媒体发布会上说：“我们坚信，每个学生，不管他们的学科是什么，工作任务有多少，每天都有这样的自由支配的时间，或者至少每周能有那么几次时间。”

The studies included in the review compare the effects of a “green” environment versus an urban setting on the physical and mental health of students. The measures used in the studies include students’ heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol levels (a stress hormone), mood and their ability to focus. The review of the studies indicates that 10-50 minutes of sitting or walking in nature are the most effective at improving these measures.

这篇综述中包括的研究比较了“绿色”环境和城市环境对学生身心健康的影响。研究中使用的指标包括学生的心率、血压、皮质醇水平(一种压力荷尔蒙)、情绪和注意力。对这些研究的综述表明，在大自然中静坐或步行10-50分钟是改善这些指标的最有效方法。

“It’s not that there’s a decline after 50 minutes, but rather that the physiological and self-reported psychological benefits tend to plateau after that,” notes co-author Donald Rakow, associate professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science.

“并不是说在50分钟后指标就会变差，而是生理益处和自我报告的心理益处在50分钟后会趋于平稳。”论文合著者、综合植物科学学院副教授Donald Rakow指出。

One of the critical aspects of this review is that it provides students with something they can do on a daily basis to relieve their stress. Rakow comments: “While there is a lot of literature on longer outdoor programs, we wanted to quantify doses in minutes, not days.”

这篇综述的一个重要角度是，它为学生提供了他们每天都能做到的方法，来减轻他们的压力。Rakow评论道：“虽然有很多关于长时间户外活动的文献，但是我们想将这一药剂量化到分钟而非天数。”

Researchers hope that their findings will encourage universities to integrate nature into their campuses and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of these resources. They note that several universities have organized “Nature Rx” or “Park Prescription” programs that encourage students to spend time exploring the natural world. Programs like this can help students add regular doses of nature to their daily routine.

研究人员希望他们的发现能够鼓励大学将大自然融入校园，并为学生提供能利用这些绿色资源的机会。他们指出，一些大学已经组织了“大自然处方”或“公园处方”的项目，鼓励学生花时间探索自然世界。这样的项目可以帮助学生将自然元素加入到日常生活中。

“Prescribing a dose can legitimize the physician’s recommendation and give a tangible goal.” says Meredith. “It’s different than just saying: ‘Go outside.’ There is something specific that a student can aim for.”

“这样开出的药方能使医生的建议合法化，并给出一个明确的目标。” Meredith说：“这和仅仅说‘走出去’是不同的。这能让学生有的放矢。”

The review is published in Frontiers in Psychology.

这篇文章发表在《心理学前沿》杂志上。