11 Studies That Show Taking a Walk Will Make You Happier

What’s the link between taking a walk and your happiness? 

Recently, I hurt my back and I admit it negatively impacted my mental health and resilience. Aside from the ongoing pain and interrupted sleep, I also wasn’t able to exercise, and I found myself spending a lot of time laying down on the couch.  

There are definitely worse things than binge watching cool shows. And the irony here is that this behaviour is also what I would consider my go-to for a lazy Sunday afternoon of self-care. It’s also very similar to how I’ve spent many hours over the last 18-months since Covid hit… but for some reason, this time, it really impacted my mood… 

… until I started walking.  

Now, hindsight is a wonderful thing. It’s funny when you look back on the things you know you should, but don’t, do. I’ve done so much research into the mental health benefits of simply taking for a walk – which I was quite able to do despite my back pain — yet I didn’t do it.  

Until I did. I started out with a quick walk around the block for 10 minutes at lunchtime. That turned into a 30-minute walk the next day, which developed into a 30-minute walk every day. And it makes me feel great. Not only that, but the movement started to help my back recover, rather than hurt it – win-win! 

So, here I am to say, even people who live and breathe all this positive psychology stuff (the converts) get it wrong sometimes. And, as a reminder to me, and maybe to you, in this article, I’m going to refresh my memory and explore eleven studies that show why taking a walk will make you happier.  

Read on! 

11 Studies That Show Taking a Walk Will Make You Happier 

1 Being around birds linked to higher happiness levels (World Economic Forum). Greater bird biodiversity can make people more joyful, according to a study published in Ecological Economics. The happiest Europeans are those who see the most bird species in their day-to-day life.  

2 Street trees have a positive effect of on mental health. Daily contact with trees in the street may significantly reduce the risk of depression and the need for antidepressants, according to research by a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) academic. 

3 Heading outdoors keeps lockdown blues at bay. A study found that spending time outdoors and switching off devices, such as smartphones, was associated with higher levels of happiness during periods of COVID-19 restrictions. 

4 Pick up the pace and get your heart pumping. Researchers are stressing the important links between your mental health and heart health. And they’re calling on clinicians to screen and address mental health when seeking to treat heart conditions. 

5 Take your lunchbreak and get outside in the sun. A recent study shows that spending time by the sea makes people happier. It also showed that just being outdoors makes you happier — preferably in a non-urban environment, but hey, we’ll take what we can get!  

6 Boost your immune system by walking around trees. Not only does being around trees increase our mental wellbeing, it also has a positive impact on our immune system! Who knew?  

7 Take an awe walk. Studies show that experiencing moments of awe makes us more generous and patient, and helps you deal with stress better. If you feel a need to get out of your head, go take in that vista, take a hike, get into nature, or whatever helps you find your awe—it just might help. 

8 Take a moment to look at nature: On your way to work? Popping into the shops? Wherever you are, be sure to stop and smell the roses, or at least notice them. Research says that observing nature — wherever you may be — will make you feel happier.  

9 Be Active: A study that examined data from almost 34,000 people has found that as little as one-hour of exercise per week, regardless of intensity, can help to prevent depression. So, get out there and something, anything, for just an hour and you can reap the benefits! 

10 Take a happy stroll: Researchers have found that simply going for a leisurely walk can improve mood and boost subjective well-being, particularly for adults who are normally sedentary.  

11 Get out!: No really, get outside! The findings are in - the more green-space in the neighbourhood, the happier people report feeling. Quite simply, if you want to feel better, just go outside.  

Finally, for those of you who can’t currently go for a walk, or even get off the couch or out of bed, or for those who just need to switch off for a bit and zone out in front of the TV, don’t feel bad at all, this recent study shows that watching TV in lockdown was beneficial for people. While going for a walk, exercising, sleeping well and investing in relationships have all been shown to positively impact mental health, this latest research shows it doesn’t hold true that watching TV is always bad for our mental wellbeing. As with all things, if we go about it the right way – in moderation – you can find your happy place while sitting on the couch too. 

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!