Spending time alone in nature may help reduce loneliness, according to a new study. The research, published in the journal Health and Place, examined how activities near a lake affected feelings of social connection. The key driver was not socializing with others but rather feeling connected to nature and emotionally attached to a specific place. Doing those activities alone appeared to have an even stronger effect.
Researchers in Norway surveyed 2,544 residents who lived along the country’s largest lake. Participants reported how often they walked along the shore, swam, paddled, or fished, and how often they did those activities alone. Connectedness to nature, described as a sense of kinship with animals, plants, and the broader living world, was the factor most strongly linked to lower loneliness across all measures used. Attachment to the lake itself was also tied to reduced loneliness, especially the type of loneliness related to feeling disconnected from a broader community.
Not all activities had the same effect. Walking along the shore, enjoying life by the water, and walking on the ice showed the strongest ties to feeling connected to nature. Exercising along the shore had the weakest association. Researchers suggest this may be because attention is directed differently. Activities that involve sensory noticing and aesthetic appreciation appear to deepen the bond with nature, while exercise-focused activity tends not to.
Why nature helps
The researchers propose two types of connection at play. Internal connection: solitude gives a person mental space to turn attention outward toward the environment rather than inward toward conversation or distraction. This can support reflection, mental clarity, and emotional regulation. External connection: feeling emotionally bonded to a place, such as a lake, a trail, or a park bench, creates a sense of belonging that does not depend on other people being present. This helps explain why the effect was stronger when people did lake activities alone. Without the social component, there is more room for a felt sense of oneness with nature to emerge.
The study also draws an important distinction between solitude and isolation. Solitude is described as chosen, intentional time alone that feels restorative. Isolation is unwanted and involves a painful sense of being cut off from others. The researchers note that both too much and too little time alone can be harmful. The finding does not mean isolating oneself in nature is a reliable path to well-being. It suggests that intentional solo time outdoors, when a person pays attention to their surroundings, may help ease feelings of disconnection. The study is observational and cannot prove cause and effect. Lonelier people may actively seek out nature to compensate for unmet social needs.
Practical ideas from the research include starting with a short walk of about 20 minutes in a green space or near water. Going alone on purpose instead of viewing solo time as a fallback can be beneficial. Paying attention to the environment through sensory noticing, such as looking at water, listening to birds, or feeling the air, deepens the connection more than exercise-focused activity. Returning to the same trail, park, or shoreline can build an emotional bond over time. The researchers also caution that if a person is feeling isolated and craving human connection, solo nature time is not a substitute for that. But if someone feels overstimulated, drained, or disconnected from themselves, intentional alone time outdoors may help.
Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a major public health concern. The research points to a simple tool: intentional solo time outdoors. The goal is not to isolate more but to be more intentional about how and where time alone is spent. For anyone with a busy schedule, stepping outside alone is not avoidance. It may be one of the most restorative things a person can do.
