Camps and retreat centers offer direct access to nature—and in incredible locations! Mountaintops to waterfronts, these scenes in nature create a sense of wonder. It’s one of the trademarks of a true camp experience, and spending time in nature, as studies have shown, can improve your life.

Here are four ways being in nature develops a better quality of life:

Say hello to happiness
The London School of Economics and Political Science conducted a study to find links between well-being and surrounding environments. More than 20,000 participants used a mobile app, which would ping them at random moments. They found 93 percent of the participants’ waking hours were spent indoors or in vehicles. Yet when surveyed through a mobile app over the course of a year, “on average, study participants [were] significantly and substantially happier outdoors in all green or natural habitat types than they are in urban environments.” ¹

You’ll think smarter
“Scientists are quantifying the effects of even small doses of urban nature not only on our moods and well-being but also on our ability to think—to remember things, plan, create, daydream and focus.” ²

Nature evokes wonder
Having a child-like curiosity can make us look at the world differently, and as one professor says, treat others better in the process. “I think we can say pretty certainly that having a little bit of awe every day in your life would make you happier, kinder and more compassionate,” University of California, Irvine, psychologist Paul Piff, says. ³

Nature helps us rest and reflect
When was the last time you didn’t hear the lull of traffic or the pinging of your phone for a few hours at a time? In an over-stimulated culture, we can forget how much our minds and bodies need a break from all the distractions. “Come to the woods, for here is rest,” John Muir once wrote. ⁴

Carving out time at a camp or conference center may be exactly what you need to improve your quality of life.

¹ https://pubag.nal.usda.gov/catalog/1126863
² https://davidkanigan.com/2017/01/29/sunday-morning-come-to-the-woods-for-here-is-rest/
³ http://psb.soceco.uci.edu/news/fight-winter-blues-try-dose-nature
⁴ http://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/favorite_quotations.aspx