A new study has found that exposure to green spaces is linked to structural brain changes during early adolescence, which are in turn connected to better mental health and academic performance. The research, published in Biological Psychiatry by Elsevier, highlights the importance of including natural environments in urban and school planning. It also offers important insights for policymakers, educators, and parents.
Earlier studies have shown that green spaces can improve mental health and thinking skills. However, scientists still know little about how these spaces affect the brain’s development. This study is the first to explore how green space exposure influences the brain’s growth over time and whether those brain changes help explain improved mental and academic outcomes.
“We often focus on the negative effects of our environment,” said Dr. John Krystal, editor of Biological Psychiatry. “But it’s just as important to recognize how positive surroundings, like green spaces, support resilience and human development.”
Researchers studied data from over 7,000 diverse adolescents who are part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The teens, aged 9 to 10, lived in 21 different U.S. regions. Scientists looked at how green space near their homes affected their brain structure two years later and how the brain changed over time. They also tested whether these brain changes explained the link between green space and improvements in mental health or school performance.
Qingyang Li, MSc, co-lead author from King’s College London, said, “We found that green space exposure was tied to changes in both the entire brain and specific brain areas. These brain changes partly explained the positive mental and academic outcomes, regardless of family income or neighborhood quality.”
The study showed that teens with more green space exposure had a larger brain surface area and higher cortical volume overall. They also had more brain thickness in areas like the temporal lobe and insula, and thinner cortex in frontal areas linked to focus and planning. Green space was also linked to larger brain structures like the caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens—areas involved in learning and motivation. Over time, these teens showed more brain growth in key areas and slower thinning in others.
Adolescence is a time of rapid brain development and strong sensitivity to the environment. At the same time, global urbanization is rising. By 2050, nearly 70% of the world’s population is expected to live in cities. This shift limits everyday access to natural settings.
“Teen mental health is becoming a serious global issue,” said co-lead author Dr. Divyangana Rakesh, also from King’s College London. “As cities grow, green spaces often disappear. Our study shows that protecting and adding these spaces could help ease mental health challenges in youth. Urban design and school planning should make green space a priority.”
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