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(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Body image is a complex thing.

We all want to be body positive but it’s hard – particularly when you’re surrounded by so much body image-related content online.

So it makes sense that perhaps the best way of improving body image might be getting away from social media and heading outside.

New research led by Anglia Ruskin University has found that green spaces have a powerful effect on promoting positive body image – and you don’t even have to step outside to reap the benefits.

In three studies, university students were shown photographs of both natural and built-up environments, with results concluding that the natural ones had a more positive effect on how participants saw themselves.

A fourth study involved members of the public walking in both environments around Hamstead Health and Primrose Hill – and again, that experiment resulted in ‘significantly higher body appreciation’.

The research, published in the journal Body Image, claims that exposure to natural environments promotes respect for the body and a rejection of rigid ideas around appearance. It also confirms the conclusion of previous studies which have shown that the natural environment has a beneficial effect on both mental and physical health.

‘There are several reasons why exposure to nature could be having this effect on positive body image,’ says Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University and lead author of the study.

‘It might be that it distances people, physically and mentally, from appearance-focused situations that are one of the causes of negative body image.

‘It is also possible that exposure to environments with depth and complexity restricts negative appearance-related thoughts. More specifically, natural environments effortlessly hold your attention – a process known as ‘soft fascination’. This is often accompanied by feelings of pleasure, such as when you are drawn to the sight of a setting sun.

‘An environment that does not require undivided attention may provide people with cognitive quiet, which in turn may foster self-compassion such as respecting your body and appreciating it is part of a wider ecosystem requiring protection and care.

‘Access to nature may also mean that individuals spend more time outdoors engaging in activities that focus attention on the body’s functionality rather than aesthetics.’

So it might be worth taking a little time this weekend to get outside – even to your local park. Or, failing that, just have a look at some nice #countrysidecontent online.

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