Does nature win you over? Sure… however no. That is what a survey appears to point Ifop pour AllTrailsthe appliance and web site hikes and outside actions. Thus, whereas most French folks acknowledge that point spent in nature has many virtues, a big proportion of them would transfer away from it. The explanation for this disconnection? 20 Minutes questioned Mélusine Martin, sociologist of theenvironmentresearcher on the Sorbonne and creator of the ebook Reconnect with nature (Larousse), to investigate the outcomes of this survey.
As soon as a month could also be sufficient
“Feeling of freedom and escape”; “higher bodily form”; “discount of stress and anxiousness”; “improved temper”… as much as the “stronger feeling of reference to others”: the French acknowledge it: the perceived advantages linked to time spent involved with nature are quite a few. Shocking? Not likely. 71% of us say that nature helps us really feel higher after we are harassed or anxious. At 83%, we even imagine {that a} single month-to-month contact with nature is useful to us, based on the survey simply carried out in France by Ifop for the AllTrails* utility. AllTrails lists 500,000 routes and lets you put together your outings within the pampas.
“Because the finish of the Nineteen Nineties, science has been conveying the message of the advantages of nature on well being and I see that it’s now anchored in folks’s heads,” says Mélusine Martin, environmental sociologist and researcher on the Sorbonne.
Unequal entry to nature
Thus, 41% of us spend time in pure environments a minimum of as soon as every week: 36% within the Paris metropolitan space; 38% in provincial city communes, and 55% in rural communes. “This nonetheless reveals that entry to nature stays socially and territorially unequal,” analyzes Mélusine Martin in regards to the survey for AllTrails.
Which raises the query: can we profit from the identical benefits after we are immersed in nature every day, dwelling within the countryside, for instance? “There are essentially added advantages,” acknowledges the sociologist. However, based on Mélusine Martin, “after we come into contact with nature deliberately, this aware connection will enhance the consequences and advantages tenfold”. Phrase to the sensible…
Downside: the research additionally reveals that 12% of French folks by no means set foot in nature (20% admit to doing so just a few instances a yr). Obstacles invoked? “Lack of time”!
24% of individuals surveyed by Ifop for AllTrails cite this argument because the primary excuse. “This “lack of time” above all reveals a psychological blockage: the conviction that, for nature to “rely”, it’s a must to dedicate a complete day to it, take your automobile, manage an actual outing. It’s the parable of the distant mountain,” explains Mélusine Martin.
The advantages of wallpapers
So, this “lack of time”, a false (good) excuse? In accordance with the sociologist interviewed by 20 Minutescontact with nature will be a number of: forest, sea, mountains, after all, but in addition “city nature, parks and gardens, avenues of aircraft timber, houseplants and home animals”. “In accordance with research, inexperienced environments have extra of a Swiss military knife impact by being good for each bodily and psychological well being, whereas aquatic environments have extra of a psychological impact,” provides the researcher. Which completes: “Science even reveals that a pc wallpaper with a picture of a seaside can have a constructive impact on an individual’s stress! “. With lesser results, clearly.
So, just a little prescription for individuals who haven’t got the time (or do not take the time) to attach with nature: “Simply 20 minutes spent strolling in an city park reduces stress. It acts on the physique and thoughts in addition to the identical time spent on a rustic path,” advocates Mélusine Martin. So, what are we ready for to be “re”?
* Carried out on a pattern of 1,047 folks, consultant of the French inhabitants aged 18 and over on February 4 and 5, 2026.
