--- description: It helps if you like nature title: The Simple Thing That Can Dramatically Improve Your Life image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e92c598725e787a/69878602cd1bba09396f5f09/453180413-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Simple Thing That Can Dramatically Improve Your Life by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 7, 2015 4:01 AM CUT  Father and son walking in nature, holding hands Father and son walking in nature, holding handsGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 7, 2015 4:01 AM CUT Spend more time outdoors. Nature has [a myriad of incredible positive effects](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-an-easy-way-to-increase-attention-span "undefined") that have demonstrated by research: * Being out in nature [reduces stress](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-being-near-nature-reduce-stress "undefined"). * Nature walks or even looking at pictures of nature [improves memory](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-improve-your-memory-by-20-in-a-matte "undefined"). * Flowers increase [romantic feelings](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-flowers-really-increase-romantic-feelings "undefined"). * Nature can even [make you a better person](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-quickly-and-easily-become-a-better-per "undefined"). * Can’t be bothered to step outside? Even a potted plant has been shown to [improve attention span](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-houseplants-make-your-mind-sharper "undefined") and [increase creativity in an office environment](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-a-quick-and-easy-way-to-be-more-creativ "undefined"). You might be inclined to discount this. I know that because [another study](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/would-you-feel-better-if-you-were-walking-in "undefined") has shown people consistently underestimate how much better being in nature would make them feel… **Join over 161,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined")**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/06/6-reasons-why-a-better-life-is-just-a-few-ste/ "undefined")**_._** Related posts: [A Navy SEAL Explains 8 Secrets To Grit And Resilience](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2015/01/grit/ "undefined") [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful ](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined") [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3765358/the-simple-thing-that-can-dramatically-improve-your-life/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3765358/the-simple-thing-that-can-dramatically-improve-your-life/"},"headline":"The Simple Thing That Can Dramatically Improve Your Life","datePublished":"2015-04-07T04:01:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:18:41.533Z","description":"It helps if you like nature","url":"https://time.com/3765358/the-simple-thing-that-can-dramatically-improve-your-life/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e92c598725e787a/69878602cd1bba09396f5f09/453180413-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e92c598725e787a/69878602cd1bba09396f5f09/453180413-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"father-son-holding-hands-walking","caption":"father-son-holding-hands-walking","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3765358/the-simple-thing-that-can-dramatically-improve-your-life/","name":"The Simple Thing That Can Dramatically Improve Your Life"}}]}] ```