New study finds that watching nature videos can reduce physical pain

A new study led by researchers at the University of Vienna explored how experiences with nature can benefit consumers struggling with physical pain. 

Their work found that an experience as simple as watching videos of nature can work to reduce physical pain. 

"From another ongoing study, we know that people consistently report feeling less pain when exposed to natural environments,” researcher Claus Lamm said in a news release. “However, the underlying reason for this has remained unclear – until now. Our study suggests that the brain reacts less to both the physical source and the intensity of the pain."

How does it work? 

The researchers had individuals who had been dealing with physical pain, but were otherwise healthy, involved in the study. 

They were shown three different videos: an urban scene, an indoor scene, and a nature scene. All three videos were created with comparable images, sounds, and overall quality to ensure that one wasn’t more aesthetically pleasing than the others. 

The participants completed self-reports of their pain after watching each video, and the researchers also used functional MRIs to measure their brain activity. 

The study found that watching the nature videos was associated with better pain outcomes on both the self-reports and the MRI scans. Compared to both the indoor and urban scenes, the participants reported feeling less pain and less intense pain after watching the nature videos.  

The researchers explained that the parts of the brain associated with physical pain – the thalamus, secondary somatosensory cortex, and posterior insula – had less activation after participants watched the nature videos; however, the same wasn’t true for either the indoor or urban scene videos. 

'Pain is like a puzzle'

"Pain is like a puzzle, made up of different pieces that are processed differently in the brain,” study lead and doctoral student Max Steininger said in a news release. “Some pieces of the puzzle relate to our emotional response to pain, such as how unpleasant we find it. Other pieces correspond to the physical signals underlying the painful experience, such as its location in the body and its intensity. 

“Unlike placebos, which usually change our emotional response to pain, viewing nature changed how the brain processed early, raw sensory signals of pain. Thus, the effect appears to be less influenced by participants’ expectations, and more by changes in the underlying pain signals.” 

Moving forward, the researchers believe these findings can have important implications for pain management. Something as simple as watching a nature video could work in tandem with other pain management therapies to offer patients relief. 

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