Want $20,000 Worth of Health Benefits? Live in Areas Near Trees!

A new study conducted by scientists at the University of Chicago revealed that living in an area near trees provides tremendous health benefits that can even reach up to the equivalent of making an additional $20,000 a year, Newsweek reported. 

The study was published in the journal Nature and analyzed data from 530,000 trees and 30,000 people.

Researchers collected data on health and public trees from the city of Toronto, Canada and discovered that just 11 more trees on a street can have positive health effects on the residents who occupy the street. Those benefits included reduced risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and obesity, which are all on the list of top killers of the modern age in the developed world, especially when combined together.

After discovering the benefits of the nearby trees to human health, researchers wanted to estimate the money value of the such health benefits, since almost everything in today's world is expected to have a value that can be converted into dollars. They said, if such benefits had a price tag, it would be $20,000.

The health benefits of the trees were not just limited to measurable, objective criteria like the absence of heart disease or diabetes, but it also had positive effect on the individual's perception of how healthy they think they are or how healthy they feel. Such effect is also said to make people feel younger, up to seven years, than their actual biological age, Newsweek reported.

It is not news to scientists that humans receive health benefits from trees, or plants in general. It is well known that trees and forests are vital in removing pollutants from air, a quality that has become increasingly important in today's world filled with air pollution, but the new study is significant due to the fact that it focuses on the health benefits of trees in an urban setting.