Natural Environment and Pain Relief

Experience has shown that spending time outdoors in a natural environment can help relieve stress and promote relaxation. A new study indicates that there is also a connection between the natural environment and pain relief. It may be surprising that enjoying the beauty and peacefulness of God’s creation can actually reduce the sensation of pain.

To create a controlled laboratory test, the researchers used images and sounds. For a natural setting, the test subjects were exposed to images of a lake surrounded by trees and hills, accompanied by birdsongs and wave sounds. For an urban setting, the subjects viewed an urban lake surrounded by tall buildings with traffic and construction sounds. The third group saw an office scene with computer and fan sounds. The researchers performed MRI scans on the brains of dozens of test subjects while they were exposed to these fake laboratory environments.

For the test, the subjects were exposed to shocks of increasing intensity while the researchers monitored their MRIs. The test subjects exposed to the urban and indoor environments showed the expected brain activity when sensing pain. However, the areas of the brain that receive pain stimulus (nociception in medical terms) were dulled when viewing the natural environment. You could call it “natural” pain relief. According to Maximilian Steininger, who authored the study, they found that the pain relief was not just a placebo effect. It really worked.

The results of this study could be helpful for healthcare facilities and hospitals. Perhaps that’s why my dentist has a nature scene picture on the ceiling above the patient’s chair. Perhaps he should add some natural sound effects. However, creating a natural scene in the lab (or dentist’s office) cannot compare with the real thing. When feeling pain (or stress), getting outside to enjoy God’s creation might be the best medicine. A real connection exists between the natural environment and pain relief. Enjoying God’s creation also inspires us to worship and thank Him for the beauty we enjoy in the outdoors.

— Roland Earnst © 2025

Sources: Discover Magazine September/October 2025, page 20, and nature.com