Study shows the key to your happy and healthy life is gardening

Spending time gardening could be your key to living a happy and satisfied life according to a new cross-sectional study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. 

Researchers studied survey data from 4919 middle-aged and older adults from Australia and found that those who gardened a few times a week were much happier than those who did not. 

“Compared to participants who do not engage in gardening,” the study's authors wrote, “those who garden for [150 minutes a week or less] were more likely to report better mental health wellbeing… and life satisfaction”

“Stratified analyses revealed that these effects were stronger for participants aged 64 years and older,” the researchers added.

The average age of respondents was 61 years old while 57% of those surveyed were women, which meant the researcher's findings are applicable to everyone in society. 

This new data provided further evidence that time spent playing in the dirt can make a real difference in one’s life, especially at older ages. 

In 2016, a different group of researchers found that self-esteem, mood, and general health were boosted after spending just seven days gardening. 

Published in the Journal of Public Health, the survey out of the United Kingdom also found that small amounts of gardening could reduce “abnormal psychological functioning.”

In 2017, a different meta-analysis found that gardening can not only increase physical health but could also improve both “psychological and social health.”

“Most studies reported positive effects of gardening, and none reported significant negative effects,” the meta-analysis concluded, “suggesting a significant effect of gardening on the health outcomes.”

The study’s authors went on to explain that their findings could have important policy implications and recommended gardening be used as a low-cost intervention solution.

“We therefore suggest that government and health organizations should consider gardening as a beneficial health intervention and encourage people to participate in regular exercise in gardens,” the researchers wrote.  

“We believe that such actions and policies would at the same time contribute greatly to redressing health inequalities,” the authors added. 

One explanation for why gardening can be so helpful for improving mental well-being could be bacteria found in the soil those who garden play with. 

“Scientists have discovered that the mycobacterium found in soil can improve brain functions while boosting moods,” Science World’s Rachel Schott wrote in 2018. 

“The mycobacterium vaccae found in the soil increases serotonin produced in the brain,” Schott added. “By getting your hands dirty, you’re also making your brain happy.”