Spending time alone outdoors may help reduce feelings of loneliness, according to a new study published in the journal Health and Place. The research suggests that connecting with nature and developing an emotional bond with a specific place are stronger factors than socializing.
Researchers in Norway surveyed 2,544 residents who lived along the country’s largest lake. Participants reported how often they did activities such as walking along the shore, swimming, paddling, and fishing, and how often they did those activities alone.
The strongest link with lower loneliness was connectedness to nature — a sense of kinship with animals, plants, and the broader living world. Place attachment, meaning an emotional bond with the lake itself, was also tied to reduced loneliness, especially the kind of loneliness that involves feeling disconnected from a larger community.
Not all activities had the same effect. Walking along the shore, enjoying life by the water, and walking on the ice were most strongly linked to feeling connected to nature. Exercising along the shore had the weakest association. Researchers suggest this may be because activities that involve sensory noticing and aesthetic appreciation deepen the bond with nature, while exercise-focused activity tends not to.
How nature affects connection
The researchers point to two types of connection that help explain the finding. Internal connection happens when solitude gives a person mental space to focus outward on the environment instead of inward on conversation or distractions. That can support reflection, mental clarity, and emotional regulation. External connection comes from feeling emotionally bonded to a place — a lake, a trail, or a park bench — which creates a sense of belonging that does not depend on other people being present.
This helps explain why the effect was stronger when people did lake activities alone. Without the social component, there is more room for a felt sense of oneness with nature to emerge. Other research has linked time in nature to reduced stress hormones and improved immunity.
Solitude versus isolation
The researchers draw a clear distinction between solitude and isolation. Solitude is chosen and intentional time alone that feels restorative. Isolation is unwanted and involves a painful sense of being cut off from others. Both too much and too little time alone can be harmful. This finding does not mean isolating oneself in nature is a reliable path to well-being. Rather, intentional solo time outdoors, when a person pays attention to surroundings, may help ease feelings of disconnection.
The study is observational and cannot prove cause and effect. Lonelier people may actively seek out nature to compensate for unmet social needs.
Applying the findings
The research suggests several ways to try this approach. A person can start small — a 20-minute walk in a green space or by water can be enough to shift attention outward. Going alone on purpose, rather than as a fallback when no one is available, can treat solo time as an intentional practice. Paying attention to the environment, such as looking at water, listening to birds, or feeling the air, appears to deepen the connection more than exercise-focused activity. Leaving a podcast at home occasionally may help.
Finding a place that resonates is also important. Place attachment was a key factor in the study. Returning to the same trail, park, or shoreline can build an emotional bond over time. Finally, being honest about what one needs matters. If a person feels isolated and craves human connection, solo nature time is not a substitute for that. But if a person feels overstimulated, drained, or disconnected from themselves, it might help.
Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a major public health concern, but solutions are not always accessible or scalable. This research points to a simple, low-lift tool: intentional solo time outdoors. The goal is not to isolate more, but to be more intentional about how and where one spends time alone. For anyone balancing a busy schedule, stepping outside — even by oneself — is not avoidance. It may be one of the most restorative things a person can do.
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