John Denver called it a Rocky Mountain High. The Japanese call it shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing.” Scientists call it green exercise—moving your body in natural surroundings. Gospel singing Bill Gather had a song, “There’s something about a mountain!” There is something about a mountain. Indeed.

Research shows that spending time outdoors—especially while moving—can make you measurably happier. My own anecdotal research reveals that people are nearly always happy when they are outside. I hike regularly and when I see people on the trail and ask them how they are doing, they nearly always answer with enthusiastic, “Great!”

Whether they are taking a hike, playing golf, hitting a tennis ball, or strolling outdoors, they are nearly always in a good mood when you find people outdoors. 

But what is it about being outdoors that lifts our mood, clears our minds, and makes our bodies feel alive? And how do we actually do it in a world full of work, traffic, and bad weather?

Why Being Outdoors Is Good for You

The benefits of nature go far beyond the fresh air. Psychologists and neuroscientists have spent decades measuring how the outdoors affects our minds.

One landmark project from Stanford University asked volunteers to take either a 90-minute walk in a natural setting or a walk through an urban environment. Researchers scanned their brains before and after the walks, looking at the default mode network—a region linked to rumination, the repetitive negative thinking that fuels anxiety and depression. The results were stunning: those who walked in nature showed lower activity in this brain region, meaning they were thinking less about negative thoughts and more about the present moment.

Another study out of the University of Essex in England tracked 10,000 participants to see how nature exposure affected happiness over time. People who spent at least two hours per week outdoors reported significantly higher life satisfaction. Interestingly, it didn’t matter if the two hours were spread out over multiple visits or done all at once—the total mattered. Nature worked its magic through immersion, not duration.

Why does this happen? Being outside stimulates all your senses—sight, sound, smell, touch. Birdsong, rustling leaves, sunlight filtering through branches—all of this activates the parasympathetic nervous system, your body’s natural “relaxation mode.” Cortisol, the stress hormone, drops. Blood pressure drops. Heart rate stabilizes. Your brain literally shifts from tension to calm, and your mood rises.

Stories from the Trail

Take Jamie, a teacher in Chicago who had been battling burnout for years. She started walking in the city’s lakefront parks during her lunch breaks. At first, she complained about the noise, the cold, and the effort. But after a few weeks, she noticed something different. “I don’t just feel less stressed,” she said, “I feel like I can think again. Ideas come to me. I can breathe.” The combination of movement, sunlight, and green space had rewired her brain for clarity and calm.

Or Mark, a retiree who had been struggling with isolation after moving to a new town. He joined a local hiking group. The mountains, fresh air, and shared movement became a daily antidepressant. “Every time we reach the summit,” he said, “I feel like I’m leaving my worries at the bottom of the trail.” His friends say his laughter returned, along with a spark they hadn’t seen in years.