In a famous anecdote by author David Foster Wallace, he described a conversation between two fish:
“There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says "Morning, boys. How's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes "What the [heck] is water?”
This exchange, although humorous, reflects a deep truth about the way we live our life. When we live, breathe, and exist in something for so long, we often rarely stop to consider it and how it affects us. In fact, unless someone brings our attention to it, we might never notice the ‘water’ we are living in.
When I apply this metaphor to mental health, I often think about how much attention is on the more noticeable influences on our wellbeing (adversity, crisis, sudden change, relationships). We often don’t think of more subtle, everyday environmental influences that may play just as big a role in our mental health, which we don’t stop to consider as much as more noticeable factors. These factors are like the ‘water’ in the fish anecdote.
Although I am sure that one can look at countless ‘invisible’ factors that play a role in our wellbeing, I thought I would look at more concrete, uniquely ‘environmental’ influences on mental wellbeing we don’t often stop to think about, including 1) Weather and Seasons, and 2) Green Space and Air Pollution. These factors play a significant role in mental health, yet, if we don’t purposefully keep our eye out, we might never realize the effect these things have on us.
Weather and Seasons
Weather can have a significant impact on our mental health and wellbeing. Anecdotally, many of us describe a dip in our mood during periods of prolonged cloudy/rainy weather, or during periods of high heat, many of us may feel more stressed, anxious, or frustrated. Although we might personally have preferences for weather and seasons, several studies have found an empirical connection between weather, seasons, and mood/mental health as well, both negative and positive outcomes.
To start off with some negative mental health outcomes, studies have found consistently that periods of extreme or variable heat that is not usual for the location’s typical environment is correlated with increased psychiatric hospital admissions and suicidal behavior. Another study found that with increased temperatures, an increase in mood disorders, schizophrenia, and organic mental diseases (dementia) emerge as well. This may emerge due to a variety of reasons, such as extreme heat effecting blood-flow, disrupting sleep, or changing the social environment (heat making people more stressed or aggressive).
Additionally, seasonal factors can also play a role in mental wellbeing. Famously, winter, which is accompanied by shorter days and colder temperatures, has been a known cause of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression that is caused due to biological and cognitive changes that affect a person as a result of the season (Lack of Vitamin D, feeling more isolated, etc…).
However, there are positive mental health results of weather and seasons as well. For example, exposure to sunshine and ‘sunny days’ have been found to be correlated with lower levels of depression and increased positive mood. This may be due to increased levels of vitamin D, improve circadian rhythms, and regulate sleep. Additionally, researchers who analyzed global trends found that living in areas that people living oin areas with generally higher temperature, higher visibility, a little wind, lower and dew point experienced increased levels of happiness than those living elsewhere.
Green Space and Environmental Pollution
Another factor that often plays a role in mental health is access to green space and clean air. Green space, such as walking in parks or hiking trails, gardening, or engaging in physical activity in nature have been found to be a large protective factor for several mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, substance use, and schizophrenia. Although researchers are still unsure why this may happen, it is thought that access to green space may reduce stress, unnecessary stimulation, improved air quality, and space for socialization.
Additionally, air and environmental pollution has been found to play a significant negative role in mental health and wellbeing. Living near places with poor air quality, heavy metals, light pollution, noise pollution, and environmental catastrophes has been found to be associated with various mental and physical illnesses, and dramatically increases risk for anxiety, mood, and psychotic disorders, possibly due to the effect of these stressors on the nervous system, or the effect of the pollutants on physical development. Studies also found that individuals who live with minimal pollution are at decreased risk of these disorders as well.
Recommendations
Just as how there are psychological therapies to help with mental health, several treatments have been developed to help people use these environmental factors to help improve our mental wellbeing. Some recommendations include:
• Use a sun lamp during the winter months to help receive vitamin D and improve mood
• Ensure that you have access to cooling resources for heat waves, such as ice packs, cold water, fans, air conditioning, and know where nearby cooling shelters are if needed.
• On Sunny days, make sure to maximize exposure to sunlight by being outside.
• Ensure you spend time in green space and areas by going to nearby gardens and parks, or developing outdoorsy hobbies such as hiking, gardening, cycling, etc…
• Try and minimize exposure to environmental pollutants. If that is not possible due to where you live, discuss ways to reduce environmental pollution with a medical provider.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact a member of our team.
Works Cited:
Thompson, R., Lawrance, E. L., Roberts, L. F., Grailey, K., Ashrafian, H., Maheswaran, H., ... & Darzi, A. (2023). Ambient temperature and mental health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Planetary Health, 7(7), e580-e589.
Beecher, M. E., Eggett, D., Erekson, D., Rees, L. B., Bingham, J., Klundt, J., ... & Boardman, R. D. (2016). Sunshine on my shoulders: Weather, pollution, and emotional distress. Journal of affective disorders, 205, 234-238.
Wang, J., Wei, Z., Yao, N., Li, C., & Sun, L. (2023). Association between sunlight exposure and mental health: evidence from a special population without sunlight in work. Risk management and healthcare policy, 1049-1057.
Peng, Y. F., Tang, J. H., Fu, Y. C., Fan, I. C., Hor, M. K., & Chan, T. C. (2016). Analyzing personal happiness from global survey and weather data: A geospatial approach. Plos one, 11(4), e0153638.
Vanaken, G. J., & Danckaerts, M. (2018). Impact of green space exposure on children’s and adolescents’ mental health: A systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(12), 2668.
Marcham, L., & Ellett, L. (2024). Exposure to green spaces and schizophrenia: a systematic review. Psychological Medicine, 1-12
Ventriglio, A., Bellomo, A., di Gioia, I., Di Sabatino, D., Favale, D., De Berardis, D., & Cianconi, P. (2021). Environmental pollution and mental health: a narrative review of literature. CNS spectrums, 26(1), 51-61