I love trees and am not immune to hugging them. It may not be rational, but when I’m near one of these quiet giants, I feel like they are kin—ancient grandparents, or at least benevolent witnesses of history and time.
Everyone probably doesn’t feel the same way as I do, but perhaps they should. While being in nature leads to better health, creativity, and even kindness, there may be something special about being among trees.
After all, trees are important to our lives in many ways. The most obvious is their role in producing the oxygen we breathe and sequestering carbon dioxide to help protect our atmosphere; but science suggests trees provide other important benefits, too.
Here are some of the more provocative findings from recent research on how trees increase human well-being.
