Gardening is good for your brain and the bacteria in the soil may be the cause, according to Dr. Raison, a University of Arizona researcher.
Scientists have found that contact with a bacterium that lives in the soil, Mycobacterium vaccae, can improve cognitive function and mood. “What is remarkable is that this microorganism seems to know how exactly to signal the brain areas we believe are most important for reducing depressive symptoms. It immediately goes on a mainline right up to this one particular area of the brain. “Dirt has a lot of microbes in it that we know impact the immune system in ways that actually enhance emotional resilience,” says Dr. Charles Raison. So far, most studies of M. vaccae have been done in animals, but Raison is hopeful that future studies in humans could yield a new tool for fighting depression and other mood disorders. Their physical benefits have been known for decades. “It’s been shown a number of times now that people who live near green spaces, who have access to natural environments, live longer than people who don’t,” Raison says. “There are now a number of studies to suggest that gardening in particular—therapeutic garden—may beneficially impact a range of conditions: obesity, dementia, schizophrenia, depression,”
