Living near green spaces could add 2.5 years to your life, new research finds

Want to live longer? Living near more green spaces could be part of the answer.

A study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances suggests that if you have long-term exposure to more greenery where you live, on average you may be adding 2.5 years to your life.

The paper adds to existing knowledge of the health benefits of living around greenery by shedding more light on how nature can affect our bodies. The researchers looked at long-term exposure to surrounding green spaces and how that affected biological aging among a group of more than 900 people in four U.S. cities.