Dirt – The New Antidepressant

Have you ever wondered why animals roll around in the dirt? Basically, it just makes them feel good and after reading Hanna’s post about dirt, I finally realized why when it rains and I can’t be outside puttering around in my garden, I get depressed………

Turns out that dirt harbors a friendly little bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae. When this bacteria infects humans, it affects our brains and causes it to make extra serotonin.

photo via Outdoor Photographer

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, a type of chemical that helps relay signals from one area of the brain to another. Researchers agree that an imbalance in serotonin levels may influence mood in a way that leads to depression as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, panic, and even excess anger. This explains a lot! I’ve been on anti-anxiety medication for years and I can tell you that when the sun is shining all I want to do is go work in my garden….it just gives me a high that Hanna describes as meditation rather than a chore……..

“The very act of touching the soil with bare skin, can bring about a chemically induced serenity. So here we are, a bunch of strung out garden junkies, just fiending for our next Mycobacterium vaccae fix.”

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