This review explores the benefits of interacting with nature, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive understanding of these benefits across different settings, interactions, and cultural contexts. The evidence for the benefits of interacting with nature is geographically biased towards high latitudes and Western societies, potentially leading to a focus on certain types of settings and benefits. Social scientists have been the most active researchers in this field, while contributions from ecologists are limited, which may hinder the identification of key ecological features of the natural environment that deliver human benefits. Although many types of benefits have been studied, benefits to physical health, cognitive performance, and psychological well-being have received much more attention than the social or spiritual benefits of interacting with nature. The evidence for most benefits is correlational, and while there are several experimental studies, little is known about the mechanisms that are important for delivering these benefits. For example, we do not know which characteristics of natural settings (e.g., biodiversity, level of disturbance, proximity, accessibility) are most important for triggering a beneficial interaction, and how these characteristics vary in importance among cultures, geographic regions, and socio-economic groups. The review identifies three main types of interactions with nature: indirect, incidental, and intentional. Indirect interactions do not require a person to be physically present in nature, and can include such activities as viewing an image or motion picture of nature, or having a view of nature through a window. Incidental interactions occur when a person is physically present in nature, but where the interaction is an unintended result of another activity, such as encountering vegetation whilst cycling to work. Intentional interactions are those in which the participant has intent to interact with nature, such as viewing wildlife, gardening or hiking in a national park. The review also identifies several types of benefits from interacting with nature, including physical health, cognitive performance, psychological well-being, social cohesion, and spiritual benefits. The evidence for these benefits is varied, with some benefits being more strongly supported than others. For example, there is strong evidence that interacting with nature can improve psychological well-being, reduce stress, and improve cognitive function. However, the evidence for social and spiritual benefits is less clear, and there is a need for further research to understand the mechanisms behind these benefits. The review also highlights the importance of considering the ecological characteristics of natural environments in understanding the benefits of interacting with nature. The review suggests that the biological richness of a landscape, as opposed to an often loosely defined "nature", may play an important role in enhancing beneficial interactions. The review concludes that there is good evidence to suggest that natural settings can have multiple beneficial effects, and that further research is needed to understand the full scope of these benefits and how they can be maximized in urban environments.This review explores the benefits of interacting with nature, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive understanding of these benefits across different settings, interactions, and cultural contexts. The evidence for the benefits of interacting with nature is geographically biased towards high latitudes and Western societies, potentially leading to a focus on certain types of settings and benefits. Social scientists have been the most active researchers in this field, while contributions from ecologists are limited, which may hinder the identification of key ecological features of the natural environment that deliver human benefits. Although many types of benefits have been studied, benefits to physical health, cognitive performance, and psychological well-being have received much more attention than the social or spiritual benefits of interacting with nature. The evidence for most benefits is correlational, and while there are several experimental studies, little is known about the mechanisms that are important for delivering these benefits. For example, we do not know which characteristics of natural settings (e.g., biodiversity, level of disturbance, proximity, accessibility) are most important for triggering a beneficial interaction, and how these characteristics vary in importance among cultures, geographic regions, and socio-economic groups. The review identifies three main types of interactions with nature: indirect, incidental, and intentional. Indirect interactions do not require a person to be physically present in nature, and can include such activities as viewing an image or motion picture of nature, or having a view of nature through a window. Incidental interactions occur when a person is physically present in nature, but where the interaction is an unintended result of another activity, such as encountering vegetation whilst cycling to work. Intentional interactions are those in which the participant has intent to interact with nature, such as viewing wildlife, gardening or hiking in a national park. The review also identifies several types of benefits from interacting with nature, including physical health, cognitive performance, psychological well-being, social cohesion, and spiritual benefits. The evidence for these benefits is varied, with some benefits being more strongly supported than others. For example, there is strong evidence that interacting with nature can improve psychological well-being, reduce stress, and improve cognitive function. However, the evidence for social and spiritual benefits is less clear, and there is a need for further research to understand the mechanisms behind these benefits. The review also highlights the importance of considering the ecological characteristics of natural environments in understanding the benefits of interacting with nature. The review suggests that the biological richness of a landscape, as opposed to an often loosely defined "nature", may play an important role in enhancing beneficial interactions. The review concludes that there is good evidence to suggest that natural settings can have multiple beneficial effects, and that further research is needed to understand the full scope of these benefits and how they can be maximized in urban environments.