Literature review of human interactions with urban nature and their mental health associations

This review explores the mental health benefits of human-nature interactions in urban areas. Considering increasing mental health concerns in cities, nature offers a widely available intervention to enhance well-being across diverse populations. We conceptualize nature interactions as behavior that occurs in/relates to a natural environment within a certain time frame, and examine associated mental health effects. Utilizing a structured literature search across multiple databases, we included English-language papers on working-age urban adults (n = 223). Our findings reveal gaps in the types of nature interactions studied, with research concentrated on limited behaviors while many culturally important activities remain underexplored. Despite overall positive effects on mental health, the diversity of methodological approaches makes it challenging to formulate specific recommendations. This review underscores the complexity of prescribing nature doses and calls for more inclusive research that considers broader populations and cultural contexts to support mental health outcomes for all urban dwellers.