[mapcars]

There are so many things put together here almost randomly, because of that its easy to criticise the whole thing, but there are some reasonable things in it.

Having barefoot connection with soil is definitely good for you, so is any reasonable exposure to nature. The key here is exposure to nature, walking on asphalt or concrete is not nature. This is about walking barefoot so that your soles connect to the soil, earth, dirt, grass or sand. In the modern world of course you have to be careful and watch out for sharp objects, all kinds of garbage etc.

People who have a piece of land, garden or park access can definitely use it for barewalking, running or just standing - it doesn't matter as long as feet touch the soil, without any fancy, minimal, shoes or anything like that.

In many spiritual places they require you to remove your shoes and even your socks, there are certain benefits of doing that, but even the holiest of people would wear shoes when going on rough terrain, thats just a question of sanity.

[iamacyborg]

> Having barefoot connection with soil is definitely good for you

Citation needed

[mapcars]

There are studies you can find about it, for example: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11211751/

The simple way to understand it is exposure to nature activates some internal mechanisms that evolved with us through millions of years of species living in nature. In a similar manner it feels so good to go to a beach on a sunny day - you have exposure to earth, water, sun and wind.

[NoImmatureAdHom]

Yeah...I'm not saying he's wrong, but I am saying you can get hookworm that way. Choose your soil wisely.

[protimewaster]

Also plantar warts.

[lukan]

My recommendation would be to just try it out, to feel for yourself.

[Retr0id]

Just because something feels good, doesn't mean it is good.

[lukan]

Not always, yes. But in this case I can test it by general wellbeing and shape of feet. The more I walk barefeet on grass and rock, the stronger my feet are. And more sensitiv. With shoes, I don't really feel my feet, with barefeet I can now feel the grass on different parts on my skin. Feels good. Improves my mood -> is good for me.

[scott_w]

While that feels good for you, this does not constitute the evidence that "going barefoot is good for you." A sibling posted some studies that would be more interesting (I'll admit I've not read them).

What "good for you" would look like to me would be longer life expectancy, better health outcomes at different stages of life, etc. "Strong feet," for example, doesn't meet that standard for me. I'd want to see a link that work to actively strengthen one's feet creates those better life outcomes.

[lukan]

Do you need a study for every little thing?

You body does provide you with a quite elaborate feedback system. And you can also objectivly meassure. (E.g. how long you walk without pain)

And studies can be very misleading. For example it matters a lot, if and how often you walked barefeet as a child. If you didn't, your bones will be not so strong developed and then barefeet walking/running can be even dangerous. Trusting a general study that maybe did not take this into account (or did not mentioned it prominently) here vs trusting the feedback from your nerves in your feet would be not wise.

[sebastiansm]

Not sure of any benefit of soil-feet connection.

But make sense to being able to move our feets freely without any hard sole that limits the development of the foot musculature and joints.

[franktankbank]

Come on man. 1+1=2 citation needed?

[paulcole]

I don’t need a citation. Just a simple explanation why it is so obvious and so beneficial.

[franktankbank]

Do you need an explanation of why the touch of another human would be obviously beneficial? I find walking on bare dirt or earth to be similar. I think experiencing is believing.

[haswell]

I think the need for an explanation/citation scales relative to how common a given anecdotal experience is.

I’ve spent plenty of time walking barefoot outside but apparently have not experienced what people here are claiming. Not saying no one can/does, but at the very least the experience doesn’t seem to be universal.

[mapcars]

Definitely there are studies about that, for example: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11211751/

>but apparently have not experienced what people here are claiming

Or you did have experience it just did not notice. The problem with experiential comparisons is that different people have different levels of sensitivity and attention. So just because you didn't feel it consciously doesn't mean you did not benefit from it.

[paulcole]

OK now I need a citation lol.

[franktankbank]

Cite me then as far you trust I'm representing my own truth. I don't even know what you are demanding exactly. There's not going to be any universal human truth so its going to be made up of opinionated reporting with arbitrary scientific assignments. You don't believe that the average person has positive feelings about walking on meadow or mud or whatever scientific endpoint? Or you don't think human touch is on average perceived positively? Or you want to see some +X years survival for those in arbitrary group compared to this other arbitrary group. Like I said, I believe what I experience, so very sorry to extrapolate a simple life experience almost universal to all humans since the dawn of time onto my suburban vice lord.

[mrguyorama]

1+1=2 in fact requires hundreds of pages of (kind of old school) math to prove.

[NikkiA]

nod I grew up with access to a big back garden, so barefoot walked on it a lot, unfortunately it involved crossing a little bit of asphalt pathway to get to, and I still have nightmares of the feeling of small sharp stones digging in my feet.

A similar late-teens habit I developed was going out and laying on the grass pretty much naked, when I couldn't sleep late at night, and just staring at the milky way. It was a peace I have no idea how I'd get back.

[lukan]

"In modern world you have to be careful and watch out for sharp objects, all kinds of garbage etc."

Also in the pre modern world. Spikey plants are in many places and my feet regular hurt in summer.

"but even the holiest of people would wear shoes when going on rough terrain"

Unless when done with purpose. It is a good awareness training, walking through the bushes barefeet. One moment of distraction .. ouch.

[Xmd5a]

>even the holiest of people would wear shoes when going on rough terrain, thats just a question of sanity.

https://medium.com/mr-plan-publication/natures-footprints-ex...