The science behind THALEA
Why nature
makes us feel better
Not one more wellness app. What the studies say about woodland, water and attention — and what we measured ourselves, with an electroencephalograph, in five real places. With mud under our shoes.
Why now
How much time we
actually spend outdoors
In little more than a lifetime we've become a geological force. Since 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of us live in cities — and today we spend less than 5% of the day outdoors.
Steffen et al., The Anthropocene Review, 2015 · Harvard School of Public Health
The research · peer-reviewed
What nature does,
according to research
Published, peer-reviewed studies. Each card cites its source: research suggests associations, not promises — and never cures.
−16% cortisol
after a forest walk
Compared with the same walk in the city; heart rate and blood pressure ease too.
Park / Miyazaki, Chiba University (n=84)
≈120 minutes
a week
Even split up, that's enough to be associated with greater wellbeing.
White et al., Scientific Reports, 2019
Calmer attention
among trees
Time in green settings is associated with lower stress and a steadier, more restored sense of focus.
Kaplan & Kaplan · Berman et al., 2008
Better mood
and biodiversity
Richer, more biodiverse green spaces are associated with greater wellbeing and mood benefits.
Roslund et al., Science Advances, 2020
~+60% ideas
while walking
On the move, creative responses rise — especially outdoors.
Oppezzo & Schwartz, Stanford, 2014
Attention
is restored
Gentle natural stimuli (soft fascination) let directed attention rest.
Kaplan & Kaplan, Attention Restoration Theory
Pilot study · indicative
Five places, one electroencephalograph:
what we measured
The Val Grande wilderness. The Botanical Garden of Ome. Abruzzo National Park. In 2020 we went out to record brain activity where nature genuinely changes, to ask one question: do all «natures» act the same way? No.
01
Water calms.
02
A wide view keeps attention awake, without tiring it.
03
The wild restores — but it asks for time.
And ~10 minutes are enough for something to shift.
Water calms
The closer you are to water — and the more you immerse — the higher the relaxation index climbs. Relative values, for illustration.
Nature regulates, the city over-stimulates
Illustrative sketch: in nature, arousal stays within a regulated band; in the city it tends to spike and crash again and again.
That's why THALEA doesn't send you to just any patch of green: it classifies the real nature around you — woods, water, peaks — and takes you to the one that fits today.
A note on what THALEA is
THALEA is a general wellbeing and lifestyle product. It is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It does not replace professional medical or mental-health care.
The best proof
is to go outside.
Research points the way. The rest is decided by the body, outside, one day at a time. THALEA tells you where to start.
Start your practice ↗