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Your mom always told you to go outside and play. Well, a recent study proves that dear old mom was right. Compared to watching outdoor scenes on HDTV, nothing reduces stress as much as the real thing. 

A study by the University of Washington and reported on Science Daily compared three groups of students. One group was placed in a room with a window overlooking a fountain, one group had an HDTV screen projecting the same view of the fountain, and the third group had nothing but a blank wall. Interesting results . . .

When faced with a minor stressful situation, the heart rates of the people looking at the window dropped quicker than the others, and actually, the folks looking at the plasma screen had the same reaction as those looking at the blank wall.

The study goes on to explain how people tend to adapt to their current environmental situation, and viewing it on a monitor doesn't come close to the real thing, no matter how realistic the images are.

So, turn off Animal Planet and take the kids to the zoo. Or better yet, flip off Discovery Channel and go take a hike. -Leslie Shapiro

Full story from Science Daily