Very interesting article. I've always known I feel better when I can get out into the garden and get down and dirty but now there is scientific proof! I've also been telling people to get rid of all these antibacterial soaps and things. We're making ourselves a weaker species by being so germaphobic. A little good clean dirt never hurt anybody, lol!

Happy and smarter, and healthier - WOW!

I also read an article that said that in another study they followed hundreds of children to see what sort of environment they grew up in vis a vis whether they developed allergies, asthma, etc. Duh! the kids who grew up on farms, and were exposed to the most dirt and various animals, had the LEAST problems! So, all of this bacteria paranoia is WRONG, and letting your kids play in the dirt (and eat it) and play with all sorts of animals is the way to keep them healthy. This explains why people I know my age (baby boomer) hardly had any allergies, but their kids and grand kids have plenty.

Jackie

Lots of good stuff to read, Gardennatlanta. I had to look it up, and there is good and bad, (that can be worked around).

I would have just thought being outdoors in the sunlight, getting that extra oxygen from our plants were the reasons why we feel better outside.

Mycobacterium vaccae does come from cows, so that would mean if we have access to cow manure then those "happy bacteria" wouldn't be too hard to come by.

I did find that not all scientists agree with the research, but even as I read the article linked below, it seemed to me that if you have a healthy cow to begin with, and have a good fast compost pile then you can avoid the evil version of M. vaccae.

I have heard that you want to water down any manure that you are pitching or turning into your garden. You don't want to inhale any fine particles and get into any respiratory problems.

And then there is the balance of trying to keep soil healthy when using pesticides and herbicides. I've been reading about herbal extracts for pesticides, and found that thyme (and oil of thyme) is effective, BUT it is also kills off the good bacteria, especially bacillus subtilis, the basic bacteria found in soil-that fights blackspot.

Called the hay or grass bacteria, its found in soils with a good amount of organic matter, and the organic spray 'Serenade' is made of this bacteria. (So I guess zap the bugs, and skip the soil.)

Gardening really is an education!

Here is a link that might be useful: Know your source of M. vaccae

I didn't read the article, but does anyone else have a Pavlovian-type reaction to the smell of potting soil like I do? I just love the smell of opening a new bag of soil, or the smell of dirt in a planting bed.

And now, having said that, all I can think about is Robert Duvall and that classic line about the smell of napalm in the morning.

For me, my life is so jam packed that I rarely have time to rest. In fact, I coulnt even tell you the last time I watched tv! But gardening is the one escape I can always count on to calm me down and bring a smile to my face. It's crazy what just a little stroll around the garden can do for your soul :)

Tammy

Yet ANOTHER reason why gardening makes me happy! Interesting article: thanks, Gardenatlanta.
My father was a pharmacist and he believed in hygiene but was not scared to death of germs. He also was prudent with medicines. We grew up with cats and dogs in the house and us kids running around outdoors, and I've tried to rear my daughter in a similar environment. I believe contact with the natural world is good for people, and am happy when research comes up with more support for this notion.

There is similar research out there that cats make us crazy. Not sure I'm convinced, but it is interesting stuff. We knew that microbes could make us sick, and more recently that some are beneficial and can make us healthy. Now we learn that they have the potential to affect our mental state.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cat-bourne parasite and schizophrenia

This is going to make my mom's day! :)

Lol, well I know cats drive me crazy all the time!

Be careful when you read some of these studies. A lot of them are thesis papers done by students going for their Phd's in whatever field. And then someone gets a hold of them and prints them like they're gospel. Then, unfortunately, they get passed around and foisted on an unsuspecting public who believe them. Every time they start the news with "studies show" I just cringe. I know they're going to tell me something I can no longer do, eat, think, etc.?! And they never tell me who those "studies" were done by!

Yes, I know these "studies" shouldn't be accepted without any thought on our part. Still, since it basically says what I already think, it MUST be correct, right? *smiles*

Sounds like we need to remember to wear our garden gloves, and keep our pets happy by keeping their flea/tick medication up, (some tick bourne diseases cause changes in their mental functions). Happy gardeners and happy pets!

This explains why I rarely shower.

Garden gloves?

Not that I'm not an education junkie. But, my favorite study is personal "self-study" of how I feel during and after I experience things. Having cats with kitty boxes in the house - happy place. Dogs rolling in dead things, eating horse manure then kissing me - happy place. Mixing all sorts of composting materials with my hands to make superdirt, bloody scratches all over hands and arms, sunburn - happy place. The science of it - I seem to get sick a lot less frequently than my co-workers. If I was phobic of cats, dogs and dirt participating in exactly same activities as I do now, bet I'd be sick quite often.

Yes happy places are good, "Gardening is a contact sport". (I do try to wear gloves but most of the time they get set aside in the first hour.)