Southampton High School Teacher Studies Forest Bathing For Doctorate

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — A Southampton High School science teacher has earned her doctorate after studying a popular Japanese form of relaxation, forest bathing.

Jennifer Keller has earned her doctorate following the presentation of her dissertation, "Forest Bathing Increases Adolescent Mental Wellbeing and Connection to Nature: A Transformative Mixed Methods Study."

Forest bathing is a Japanese form of relaxation and a way to de-stress, where people spend time breathing deeply in a natural setting.

Dr. Keller, who has been teaching college science and sustainability and earth science for the past 16 years in Southampton, earned her doctorate in environmental studies from Antioch University New England. She selected her dissertation topic because she "wondered if practicing forest bathing could be a way to alleviate teenage anxiety and stress while also encouraging environmental care and concern."

For her research, Dr. Keller explained that she used Youth Participatory Action Research methods, so she could work with her students collaboratively to create new knowledge around forest bathing and investigate their own experiences.

"Although there has been previous research on the health benefits of forest bathing, most of these studies have been carried out with adults in Japan and South Korea," said Dr. Keller. "This is one of the first studies on forest bathing with adolescents."

Dr. Keller’s work will be published during the summer, and the three research papers will eventually be published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Environmental Education Research, a special issue of the International Journal of Public Health Research, and Ecopsychology, the Southampton Union Free School District said.

"It was a meaningful project, and I was so grateful to have the opportunity to train as a scholar at Antioch University over the past four years," she said. "It was challenging during COVID, but all challenges come with opportunities, and for me, it was the opportunity to see if there was a way to increase the mental well-being of our students through spending time outside in nature practicing forest bathing. It’s such a simple solution to a real problem. I highly recommend students — and everyone — get time outside, as it has so many benefits to well-being, attention, focus and creativity."

Dr. Keller also holds a master’s degree in environmental science from Antioch University, a Master of Arts in Teaching Earth Science from Stony Brook University and a bachelor’s in marine biology from Long Island University, Southampton.