April 2, 2007 | Cleaning tips, News
A BBC report this morning tells us what us parents of toddlers have always known - some time in the sandbox put smiles on faces. Well, actually the study is a little more in depth and scientific than that… Lung cancer patients experienced improvements in their quality of life and mice produced more of the ‘happy’ brain chemical serotonin after exposure to soil.
Lack of serotonin is linked to depression in people, and it seems that we can boost our serotonin levels through exposure to dirt. So maybe we should all have adult-sized sandboxes in the backyard… That could be the new spa experience! Well, maybe taking up gardening would be a more sensible solution…
Doctors have long known that homes that are vacuumed too frequently tend to bring on greater problems with allergies, which seems to indicate that we need some exposure to dirt. Also, doctors recommend only using anti-bacterial soaps when you’re fighting illness, or to significantly limit the use of anti-bacterial soaps, as they also kill good bacteria that keeps you healthy. But, try finding non-anti-bacterial soaps at your grocery store.
So it seems there is such a thing as ‘too clean.’ The moral of the story, go ahead - dig your fingers into the mud. Let it squish through your fingers. And then eat some mudpies. Okay, maybe not.
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Broomhuggers » Kids need green! says:
[…] and I have the pictures to prove it!) aren’t so important after all. I mean, heck, dirt even boosts happiness - in adults as well as kids. So what’s the harm in finding a new friendly stink bug or […]
January 13th, 2008 at 8:51 pm