'Britain becomes a Prozac nation' proclaimed The Times’ front page on Monday (13th May 2007). A new report by the mental health charity, Mind, revealed that over 31million anti-depressants were handed out last year. In a fascinating study, the University of Essex, in association with Mind, compared the mental health effects of taking a walk in a country park with a walk in a shopping centre. The results were startling:
- 71 per cent reported decreased levels of depression after the country walk
- 90 per cent had increased self-esteem after the country walk.
In contrast:
- 22 per cent felt their depression increased after walking through an indoor shopping centre and only 45 per cent experienced a decrease in depression
- 44 per cent said their self-esteem decreased after window shopping in the shopping centre.
Why is this the case? And what have we, as Christians, got to say about it?
When Paul went on his wander through Athens (Acts 17), we’re told he was "greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols". I suspect his reaction might have been even stronger had he wandered through one of our shopping centres. The idolatry of ancient Greece pales in comparison to the idolatry of modern Britain. In shop after shop, we bow at the altars of fashion, cosmetics, technology, greed, gluttony and celebrity. And whilst the ancients only provided the occasional sacrifice, we sacrifice our money to these gods on an almost daily basis. It’s no wonder that worshipping at the church of consumerism increases our depression. The consumer culture is built on the premise that these gods are never satisfied- they always demand more. Hence, despite our year on year increase in wealth, we remain a society that is losing the ability to be happy.
In contrast, the walk in the country is what Jesus knew all about. In the countryside, the pleasures on offer are free, they demand nothing of you except your indulgence, and no-one was exploited or trafficked in their production. They are just there- God’s free gift to you. It’s no wonder then that they relieve depression, and boost self-esteem. For the extravagant beauty of nature is God’s way of saying how much we mean to him.
And yet, here's the rub: the difference between finding a £20 note, and being given one, is that you know someone cares and values you enough to share their gift with you. It is the presence of relationship that makes a gift a gift, and not merely a lucky find. If our society is to escape its plague of depression, it will require more than just a few walks in the park. It will need to recognise the goodness of creation as a gift- God’s glorious blessing on us. For most people, nature is merely a fortuitous accident- and so divorced from the relationship and love that knowledge of a gift brings. If ecotherapy (which is what Mind calls the country walk approach) is really going to work, it will only happen when combined with the realisation that this beauty we enjoy is God's extraordinary gift of love to us.
Justin Thacker, Head of Theology
