Tag: Happiness

Going nude makes you happier…

Breaking nudes! Going naked makes you feel happier, scientist discovers

Got the January blues? Try taking off all your clothes. At least that’s what one scientist suggests after discovering that humans feel more content when completely naked.

Naturists are happier than most people and feel more secure in their bodies, a study by Dr. Keon West of Goldsmiths University in London has found.

When the psychologist conducted further research, he discovered that people report feeling happier after baring it all than they did when clothed.

“A lot of research has shown people don’t like their bodies, and that this is fairly independent of what their bodies actually look like,” said West, as quoted by the Times.

“Most people think they are too fat or too skinny, and it is a very serious problem that makes a lot of people unhappy,” he explained.

People who engage in nudist activities – such as topless sunbathing, naked bike riding, and visiting nudist colonies – seem to avoid this problem.

“What we found was a very good correlation. Generally, if you did these activities, the longer you did them and the more frequently you did them, the happier you were,” West said.

Discontent with body image can lead to more serious mental health conditions, such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), which up to 20 percent of people who undergo cosmetic surgery could be suffering from, according research cited by the Guardian.

West’s study has discovered that the simple act of taking off one’s clothes could help people overcome negative body images.

In a second test, he psychologically assessed people before and after they took part in a ‘Bare all for Polar Bears’ event in Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Participants reported feeling happier afterwards.

Now the psychology lecturer wants to find out exactly what causes this positive boost in mood and pinpoint whether it is the act of seeing lots of other people naked or the experience of being seen nude by others that lifts people’s spirits.

Regardless of what he finds out, West advocates going nude as an affordable way to overcome negative feelings about one’s body.

“Lots of people will say: ‘Fine, I still won’t do it’. But it’s a widely available and very, very cheap way of fighting body image dissatisfaction. Everyone can take their clothes off, that’s pretty easy,” he noted.

See the article from the link below:

https://www.rt.com/uk/375190-naked-nude-happiness-body/

Article courtesy of RT.com

Photos courtesy of jadeandmary.wordpress.com

Telegraph.co.uk

Taking part in naturist activities can help make us significantly more satisfied with our bodies and lives, new research from Goldsmiths, University of London has found.

Courtesy of an article published in Goldsmiths University of London.

http://www.gold.ac.uk/news/naked-and-unashamed/
Researchers led by Dr Keon West (Department of Psychology) investigated the associations between naturist activity and psychological well-being, as well as the immediate effects of two real naturist events on participants’ life-satisfaction.

The first study – an online survey of some 850 British people of a variety of ages, ethnicities and religions – found that those who spent time naked or partially naked around others (eg. topless sunbathing or taking part in World Naked Cycle Rides), also liked their own bodies more, thought better of themselves, and were more satisfied with their lives overall.

The longer they had been practicing naturism and the more frequently they did it, the happier they were.

The second and third studies took place at a “Bare all for Polar Bears” event at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park (24 participants) and British Naturism’s Waterworld event in Stoke on Trent (100 participants). At both events, participants were assessed just before shedding their clothes and at the end of the event, before they put them back on.

In both cases participants experienced immediate and significant improvements in body-image, self-esteem and life satisfaction.

For decades, research has shown that body image dissatisfaction is a serious, global problem that negatively affects psychological health. Much of it stems from overexposure to “idealised bodies” such as those widely seen in magazines, on television, and increasingly on social media.

Previous research also shows that positive or neutral reactions to one’s own body, and exposure to “non-idealised” bodies (otherwise known as normal people), should counter the negative effects of idealised imagery. Logically, then, naturism – the practice of being naked in the company of non-intimate others – should be good for your body image and self-esteem.

Dr West says:

“The naturists have been saying this for some time. However, despite a lot of positive claims, little to no empirical research has investigated whether naturist activity (rather than attitude or beliefs) actually makes us happier or, just as importantly, why it makes us happier.”

Dr West believes that this current research is a good first step, but that there are still many more questions to answer. How exactly does naturism have these positive effects? And do the effects taper off after a certain number of naturist events?

Initial analyses of the data suggests that seeing other people naked is more important than being seen naked yourself. The data also seemed to find that the benefits hit a ceiling after about 20 naturist events a year – further naturist activity beyond this did not appear to make a difference.

Dr West suggests that further research, including longitudinal designs and randomised controlled trials would shed more light on these initial findings. While representation at the two naturist events was diverse, most of the respondents to the first survey were male, most were white, most were straight, and most were middle-aged. While the same effects were found when gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and age were included as factors in the analyses, Dr West believes it would be useful to conduct research with more diverse populations.

However, this should not detract from the conclusion that naturism appears to have psychological benefits. For a long time many people, even health professionals, assumed that public nudity was a sign of psychological dysfunction. This perception has stuck even though an increasing number of people are now taking part in clothes-free activities.

The findings certainly indicate that naturism appears to have positive effects, not negative ones. As such, Dr West suspects that it could offer a low-cost, widely available solution to the problem of body dissatisfaction. “At the very least”, he concludes, “this is worth investigating”.

Naked and unashamed: Investigations and applications of the effects of naturist activities on body image, self-esteem and life satisfaction by Dr Keon West is published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.

Getting home from work and naked in the garden.

With this unseasonably warm April weather we are enjoying in the UK at the moment, I feel the need to soak up any sun when I can get it. So it’s home from work, clothes off, kettle on, cup of tea and outside in the garden naked to enjoy the wonderful feeling of the warm sun on my skin. A real de-stress!  

   

A little naked gardening.

It’s now spring and I can see buds appearing on my shrubs and my garden starting to ‘wake up’. It’s a wonderful and special time of year, my favourite season of the year. No other season has such a fast and incredible change from one end to the other. Mid-March is chilly aimage image imagend trees and shrubs and flowers are bare and sparse, by the end of April just six weeks away the trees should be in leaf, shrubs alive and early flowers appearing. It never fails to amaze me. Nature is incredible and what better way to enjoy it than being naked, free if clothes and at one with nature.

imageI have started potting on my seedlings which I have grown lovingly on my windowsill, these include tomato plants and geraniums. I use pots made fIMG_1486rom cardboard and empty toilet roll and kitchen rolls they make great bio-degradeable pots causing less harm to the environment and best of all I can plant the pots straight out into the tubs without disturbing the roots. I find the plants take easier and grow faster this way.

Although it’s still a little cold and brisk for spending too much time outside naked, I enjoy grabbing an occasional half-hour outside just to enjoy the fresh air.

International day of happiness – naturism.

Today 20th March 2015 is International Day of Happiness. A celebration organised by the United Nations to focus on pimageositive experiences and encouraging all ofimage image us to think about what makes us happy.

Apparently top of the list of what makes people happy is connections with other people, friends & family. It’s not a surprise to understand that material objects don’t make us happy in the long term, it’s more about experiences, connecting with other people and being thankful for what we do have in our lives.

My partner, my family and friends make me happy and naturism, being naked, respecting nature and enjoying the natural world naked makes me very happy. Nothing tops the feeling of walking naked in a forest or fields, feeling the sun and wind all over your skin, connecting you with nature in an intimate way that is not possible when you’re clothed.

image