The practice of Forest Bathing favors the female sex, as women, being in contact with nature, receive enormous benefits from it.

 

• Case study A

​

A study by Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in collaboration with Brigham and Women's Hospital in 2016 that living in or near green areas could extend women's lives by improving mental health.

The study was conducted on over 108,000 women in a nationwide survey, performed between 2000 and 2008 on the main risk factors leading to chronic disease in women. The risk factors for the life of the women participating in the survey were then compared with the presence or absence, and to what extent, of plants and vegetation near the homes of the participants.

The analysis showed that for women who lived near green areas and areas, the mortality risk was 12% lower than for the others. Specifically, the researchers noted that the death rate from kidney-related causes dropped by 41%, while for respiratory diseases the rate dropped by 34% and 13% for cancer.

According to the study, the causes that would lead to the decrease in the mortality rate are many, but the improvement in mental health contributes the most. In fact, about 30% of the benefit derives from the improvement of mental health due to living in contact with nature. In addition, lower exposure to air pollution and increased physical activity also contribute.

 

• Case study B

​

A recent study highlighted the benefits of regular contact with nature especially for women, primarily because it can serve as an escape from social and media pressure towards a precise standard of female beauty. In addition, spending time outdoors helps women break away from the social expectation of having to take on a greater workload than men in terms of childcare and home care. All of this increases their happiness and self-esteem. The study also shows that women need to spend more time outdoors to be able to perceive a significant reduction in stress levels. For this, explains Dr. Nooshin Razani, director of the Center for Nature and Health at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), women should not consider time spent outdoors as a luxury or an extra, but as a their fundamental right, necessary to guarantee health in general.

Outdoor activities allow the metabolism to reactivate and the endorphins to enter the circulation resulting in a wave of well-being for body and mind. And we know that when you feel good about yourself you appear even more sparkling and young even in the eyes of others. The sunlight that we stock up when we spend time in contact with nature also stimulates the production of vitamin D and constitutes a reserve of precious energy that helps to counteract fatigue, anxiety, stress, even the osteoporosis that women fear as menopause approaches.