In a article titled “Is Dirt the New Prozac?“, Discover Magazine summarizes for us non-scientists a research study headed by Dr, Christopher Lowery, that may explain it feels so GOOD to work in the garden. My post title aside, being outside may not be a true cure for depression, but apparently it helps. The study showed a common soil bacterium, that we inhale when digging in the dirt, activates the serotonin releasing neurons in our brain. I always knew that I felt great when outdoors and active, now I know why! I seems you can get a healthy, (literally), dose of Mycobacterium vaccae when hiking, gardening, or taking part in almost any outdoor activity that involves kicking up a little dirt.
The article goes on to discuss how the discovery could add to our knowledge of the biological causes of depression, asthma, and inflammatory disorders in general. I had the thought that our positive biological response to this organism may be coded into our bodies as a means of survival. Back when most people grew and harvested their own food, there would have been a real survival benefit for people who worked the earth. I have often joked that I have the “farmer gene”. Now I wonder is some of us are indeed
I would take the time to further summarize the findings of the study, but I really need to get started on some overdue weeding in the vegetable garden.
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Very useful information was found here, thank you for your work.
It is great to know there is a scientific link between it – I now have an excuse for spending hours in the garden!
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I personally find gardening to be an excellent way to get rid of stress, and take my mind off of whatever I’m thinking about. I just need to get someone to water all my plants when I take a vacation.
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I really like gardening too. It’s just great to be with nature and watching things grow. It just gets my back sometimes when I dig up a heap load of things.
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Interesting article for sure. I never would have thought that dirt had a chemical in it that actually changed the way we felt.
I always remember going out when I was younger with my grandma and would help her plant and what not. It was quite enjoyable not only because I was spending time with my grandma but because I was outside. It’s just something about the air that makes it so relaxing.
Plus the joy of getting to play with dirt when I was younger was always fun as you could imagine.
I’ve tried everything else, may as well give gardening a shot. I suppose the extra sun and exercise could give me a bit of a boost…
Will I know this was posted long time ago. But I tell you I came outside this weekend to clean up backyard as Dom was watching the baby – boy I felt good! I love gardening, and I miss it so much, too bad I had to do clean up instead of start up….lol. Anna
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Hey Will,
AWESOME post! Thanks for making my day! Now I know why I love gardening so much. It’s breathing the dirt! And I though it was just the mouth-water fresh tomatoes that were my reward. I think I’ll head out and breath a little dirt right now! ~ Steve
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You are welcome, Steve! This also probably explains why the happiest kids are usually the ones outside getting dirty.
Huh…I do garden maintenance and while I get tired of it by the end of the year… I do feel a need to smell that dirt smell within a few weeks of the snow covering it all. A good addiction in my opinion!
GartenGrl
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Neat-0! When I first read the title, I thought it was going to be due to the physical activity releasing dopamine. I better keep up with my garden!
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Nice, I never heard of that. Many many gardeners do enjoy a long life that is for sure. The pensioners down the allotment just do not want to give up, many of them over 80 and still diggin
serotonin does wonders
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