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Emalyn Kuhnell

English 1201

Prof. Hellmers

20 January 2019

Correlation of Mental Health and Outdoor Recreation Research Proposal

While thinking over some of the things that I chose to spend my free time doing,

as well as the biggest stress relievers for me, spending time outside came to my mind

first. After doing some light research, I was intrigued to find out that there is more than a

placebo effect happening when you feel better after being outdoors. Many studies have

in fact found that there is in fact a connection between human mental health and the

amount of time spent outside.

I find it incredibly interesting that there is a connection between endorphin levels

and time spent in nature, but also that the effects of vitamin D (from the sun) can have

on your mood. Understanding that there is more than just natural hormonal changes to

this made it seem more of a topic that has such strong potential to be researched. While

there is some debate over the reality of the situation, in my experience, being outside

does have a positive effect on my mental health.

Having done little to no research, I think this is a topic that should be better

explored by the general population. Of those who are plagued with anxiety and

depression, the clinical treatments (therapy and prescription drugs) are incredibly

expensive and can have harmful side effects. If there is in fact a strong connection, I
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believe these more natural options should be better explored in Western medicine

treatment plans. If there was more motivation to move away from technology for ‘x’

amount of hours a day and instead move outside, I believe there is a chance that

people could feel better overall.

As of now, I am aware that there are endorphins released when people exercise,

but I would like to research further into this. In studying and researching information for

this paper, I would like to find out why these endorphins are released, as well as what

other “feel-good” chemicals are sent out with the endorphins. In addition to this, I would

also want to know what factors go into the process of releasing endorphins. In my

experience, I do feel better after exercising and participating in outdoor activities. I know

there are connections, but I would also like to look into the factors that can affect these

connections. Some of these factors, such as if the hormone levels released affected

because of a history of being overweight, would provide substantial amounts of

evidence and statistics to be included in my final paper.

It’s been known that diet alone affects hormone levels as well as athletic

performance, but I believe it would be beneficial to research and include the role diet

plays in hormones released while being in nature. A final question, in addition to “how

does participating in outdoor activity affect mental health” and “how does diet affect

hormones released while participating in outdoor activity”, I would like to explore the

effect of various sleep patterns on the energy levels while being outside. I think it would

be intriguing to know how different amounts of sleep, in combination with outdoor

activity could affect overall energy, an aspect of mental health. While doing my research

and writing this paper, I am interested to find out if outdoor recreation can, in fact better
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the human mindset and overall mental health, as mental health is such a crucial aspect

to overall wellbeing.