Happy days are nature days: visiting nature has positive spill-over effects for the entire day among people with and without common mental health disorders

Recreational time in nature is linked to greater positive and fewer negative emotions than time in built settings, but it is unclear whether benefits: a) are short-lived or ‘spill-over’ across the day; b) apply to both general populations and people with common mental health disorders (CMDs) such as depression and anxiety; and c) extend across different types of nature (green vs. blue spaces). Using survey data from a representative Austrian adult sample (n = 2,140), we examined ‘happiness’ and ‘anxiety yesterday’ as a function of whether respondents visited green or blue spaces (65.7% & 32.6% respectively), and whether they reported depression/anxiety medication use (13.6%). Controlling for socio-demographic, temporal, and well-being factors, visits to nature were associated with greater happiness regardless of CMD status. Among those with CMDs, blue space visits also related to higher anxiety, possibly reflecting self-management. Results suggest nature visits support daily well-being, but blue spaces need further study.