A new research that has erased the brain of people who have been subjected to electric shocks, which only by looking at nature – or even only digital images – can alleviate pain.
The numerous benefits for the health of nature have been established through research contracts. More than 40 years ago, a pioneering study showed that patients in hospitals need less painkillers and recovered faster when they looked at the window with green spaces rather than a stone wall.
“Until now, the reasons behind this effect were not clear,” said Maximilian Steinger, a neuroscientist at Vienna University and the main author of a study published in the magazine “Nature Communication”, Thursday.
The problem is that both nature and pain can be subjective, because people love nature, can have an imaginary effect. Or what happens if it is not the nature that relieves pain, is the life of the city that increases it?
The researchers recorded the brain activity of 49 volunteers using functional magnetic resonance imaging, while the participants examined several photos while receiving a series of electric shocks – some of which are more painful than others – on the back of the left hand.
The first scene photographed a lake surrounded by winds that stroked, while the rumors of the rustle of the leaves and the tweet of the birds were played in the background. In the second scene, some urban elements were added, such as buildings, seats and alleys, with the interference of the city’s noise. As for the third scene, it was an office, with its boring furniture and the bug of work.
Participants not only had less pain when they looked at the landscape, but also functional magnetic resonance tests showed a difference in their brain. “Our study is the first to provide evidence of brain tests that this is not just a false effect.”
The scenes of nature have led to a decrease in the activity of part of the brain responsible for the perception of pain, and is called a sense of pain. However, other areas associated with the regulation of pain have not been significantly influenced.
The researchers also stated that these results can be attributed to the fact that natural environments attract the attention of people and their behavior. This theory is known in psychology such as “the theory of attention for restoration”.
Alex Samali, a researcher who participates in the study of the University of Exeter, said: “The possibility of achieving this reduced effect of pain through virtual exposure to nature, which is easy to apply, has important practical effects”. He added that this “opens new horizons to research to understand how nature better affects our minds”.
