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Rewilding Mice Outdoors Reduces Anxiety, Study Reveals

12/24/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Cornell University researchers found that rewilding lab mice in large outdoor enclosures reduces anxiety.
After one week outdoors, anxious mice showed no fear or a much weaker fear in an elevated plus maze.
The findings imply that varied experiences can block fear formation and reset existing anxieties.
The study questions traditional anxiety tests and highlights environmental factors that shape anxiety, with possible implications for humans.

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Story summary

Cornell University researchers found that rewilding lab mice in large outdoor enclosures reduces anxiety.
After one week outdoors, anxious mice showed no fear or a much weaker fear in an elevated plus maze.
The findings imply that varied experiences can block fear formation and reset existing anxieties.
The study questions traditional anxiety tests and highlights environmental factors that shape anxiety, with possible implications for humans.