Spending time around trees and looking at trees reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and improves mood. Numerous studies show that both exercising in forests and simply sitting looking at trees reduce blood pressure as well as the stress-related hormones cortisol and adrenaline. ^1, ²

Adults who report feeling lonely often are more than twice as likely to develop depression as adults who report rarely or never feeling lonely. ^1, ²

Social support from friends and family is associated with improved hypertension and diabetes management. ^1, ^2, ^3, ⁴

Poor social relationships, social isolation, and loneliness can increase your risk of heart disease by 29% and risk of stroke by 32%. ^1, ²

Children who participate in early childhood development achieve higher education and make more money as adults. ¹

Smaller social network size is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and of other diabetic complications including heart attacks and kidney disease. ^1, ^2, ³

Global studies find there is a 9% increase in hourly earnings for every extra year of schooling a child receives. ¹

Men with less than a bachelor’s degree have seen their real earnings stagnate or decline, with an especially large drop among workers with the lowest levels of education. ¹

People with strong perceptions of community belongingness are 2.6 times more likely to report good or excellent health than people with a low sense of belongingness. ^1, ²

Immersion in local community-based activities such as volunteering significantly increases the likelihood of unemployed individuals becoming employed. ^1, ^2, ³