Is tree hugging healing magical?
Recently, the trees in the park have been filled with young people. This is another new trend among young people after petting cats and dogs - hugging trees. They heal themselves through hugging trees, an act of being close to nature. What is "tree hugging therapy" all about? How to understand it from a scientific perspective?
Nowadays, a group of tree-hugging enthusiasts have emerged in Shanghai’s major parks and even on the streets with sycamore trees in urban areas, becoming an urban landscape.
What do people feel when they hug a tree? Netizen Qiqi shared on Xiaohongshu: "I felt the energy, the fragrance, the allowed relaxation, and the courage to hug a tree on the road without fear." Many people in the comment area had the same feeling. Someone responded: "When I feel depressed, I like to bask in the sun, touch flowers, plants and trees, and hug a big tree. It will radiate a lot of energy."
Others say that people in cities are busy with life and rarely pay attention to every brick, tile, plant and tree. Hugging trees always reminds him of his childhood and the wildness of nature.
As we all know, contact with nature is a way to regulate the body and mind. What people call tree hugging therapy is to bring mental relief and relaxation through close contact with nature - trees and green plants, natural sounds, fresh air, streams, starry sky, etc. Similar experiences include camping, forest bathing, meditation, etc.
Hugging a tree for healing, is it really magical? From a scientific point of view, it makes some sense.
In the animal kingdom, the elf who loves to hug trees is the koala. But unlike humans, koalas hug trees not to relieve stress, but to cool down. Because tree roots can absorb cool water from the ground, the surface temperature of the trunk is lower than the surrounding environment. Therefore, koalas can enjoy the shade just by hugging the tree trunk.
Researchers once brought thermometers into the forest to observe the tree-hugging behavior of koalas. It was found that the higher the temperature, the more koalas like to have close contact with trees. In hot temperatures, the probability of a koala hugging a tree can reach more than 65%, which is significantly higher than the 30% probability in mild temperatures. And the higher the temperature, the more they like to rest under lower tree trunks.
The concept of tree hugging for healing may sound new to humans, but its core concepts have long been revealed.
In 1984, Edward Wilson, the "father of sociobiology", wrote "Biophilia" and proposed the "biophilia hypothesis." He said that humans naturally like to be with other living things and have a deep-rooted love for nature, which is an instinctive and natural drive. This theory helps explain why people prefer green scenes, why people who own pets are happier and healthier, and more.
In the same year, American scientist Roger Ulrich also published his 10 years of observations in the magazine Science. He proposed that patients who can directly see the scenery outside the window always recover faster. The "biophilia" theory was very popular at the time.
The International Alliance for Nature and Forest Therapy pointed out in the study that when people are in an environment close enough to nature, the level of cortisol produced in the sympathetic nervous system shows a significant downward trend, thereby regulating heartbeat, blood pressure and stress levels. effect. Another study simply had participants sit and watch a forest. The results showed that just looking at the forest reduced cortisol levels by 13.4% after 15 minutes. Cortisol is also called the "stress hormone", and its decrease means that the body and mind are relaxed to a certain extent.
Hugging a tree is a more intimate way to connect with nature. Dr. Stone Kraushaar, a clinical psychologist known as the "Hug Doctor" explains in the book "Hug Therapy": "Tree hugging" can help increase the level of oxytocin in the human body, which is a Hormones that are closely related to emotional experiences such as happiness, joy, calmness and trust.
Hugging a tree is not only a healthy behavior for the body and mind, but also an interesting way to socialize. In Finland, the World Tree Hugging Championships are held every year.
Lapland, located in northern Finland, is mostly within the Arctic Circle. The highest temperature in summer is only 20°C. It is a summer resort in Europe and even the world. In the city of Levi in Lapland, there is a forest called "Haripu". In the local language, "hari" means "embrace" and "puu" means "tree".
A tree-hugging contest is held here every August as scheduled. The reputation of the event has gradually grown, and the contestants are mainly from Europe. Judging from the competition items of the previous Haripu Tree Holding Competition, there are mainly three categories.
The competition mainly emphasizes the interaction between people and trees, highlighting the contestants' thinking on the relationship between people and nature, and their understanding of trees. For example, "speed tree hugging" requires players to hug as many trees as possible within one minute, and the duration of hugging each tree cannot be less than 5 seconds. In addition, there are certain requirements for the height and type of trees to be hugged. Another example is "Concentrate on hugging the tree". Each contestant chooses a tree and hugs it with concentration for 1 minute. Finally, there is the "freestyle tree hugging", where players can play freely, choose a tree, use their imagination and creativity, and interact with the tree.
The interaction between people and trees is very interesting. Some contestants hugged the tree and sang softly, some read poems to the tree, and some placed a lot of delicious food under the tree to introduce it to the tree. There was even a contestant wearing a brown fleece jumpsuit to imitate the action of a brown bear hugging a tree and tickling it, which made everyone laugh. These interactions also led to a greater understanding of the important impact of trees on local natural ecology.
The tree hugging championship originated in Northern Europe, and there are also regional factors. The scientific community has confirmed that the high incidence of depression among Nordic people is related to their geographical location. Because the sunshine hours in several Nordic countries are short, the Nordic people generally lack vitamin D. Nordic people have a relatively reserved personality and their interactions with others are relatively passive. Therefore, they pay more attention to pursuing the healing methods of nature.
There is a saying in the scientific community - "Seeing is healing." Many social experiments have shown that people can get spiritual healing as long as they see plants and natural scenery. However, experts also said that tree hugging therapy is only an auxiliary method to relax the body and mind, but it is not the only way to solve physical and mental problems.
Singaporean botanist Martin Xiao expressed concern about the trend of tree hugging in an interview: "A tree is an upright ecological space. People can't see many microorganisms on the trunk with the naked eye. Sometimes tree hugging can also destroy these precious trees." Ecological environment. " He suggested that you still need to keep a necessary distance when getting close to nature. Even if you hug a tree, you should choose a relatively common tree species, such as camphor tree, which does not have many microorganisms attached to it.
Many netizens exchanged their experiences on tree hugging on social media and also issued some reminders. Common locust trees, poplar trees, elm trees, plane trees, etc. in urban areas are the peak season for secreting gum in summer, and hugging trees can easily stain clothes. In addition, hugging a tree is not a safe choice during thunderstorms.
Netizen Qiqi exchanged her thoughts on social media. She believed that tree hugging may be just a fleeting trend, showing people's yearning for nature. In fact, getting close to nature is not limited to hugging trees. Flowers, birds, fish, insects, various green plants, fresh air, etc. are all gifts from nature and can bring strength to people.
