Why is spending time in nature a skill worth cultivating?

As we discussed at the beginning of the module, biophilia is the idea that human beings possess an innate need to interact with the natural world. Biophilia was first put forward as a hypothesis in the 1980’s by the biologist Edward Wilson, and rationale for this hypothesis is that human beings tend to do better in environments with abundant nature and tend to struggle in areas that lack nature. Our modern world is pulling as further and further from nature. Modern technology, transportation, and lifestyles have made contact with nature less necessary and perhaps even less appealing. Why would kids go explore outside when they can explore a virtual world in the comfort of their own room? Why would busy working individuals choose to walk to the library rather than drive? Why would an athlete traverse potentially dangerous mountain trails when they can get the same exercise on a stationary bike at home? In this section we will explore budding research in the field of nature psychology that demonstrates why the extra time, energy, and inconvenience of spending time in nature is worthwhile for human health and well-being.

Cognitive Restoration Nature appears to have a restorative effect on the functioning of the human brain. Attention Restoration Theory (ART) posits that natural environments modestly capture the brain's attention without requiring cognitive effort on behalf of the individual, thus giving the attention focusing portions of the brain a chance to rest. Built environments, on the other hand, capture the attention of the brain quickly and intensely (such as when receiving a text message or navigating rush hour traffic), which forces the brain to direct attention to address or ignore the intense stimulus. Over time, long periods spent in built environments may lead to attention fatigue, and spending time in natural environments may help relieve that fatigue (Berman et al., 2008). Attention fatigue results in worse memory, attention, and decision making ability. Research done with various populations has demonstrated the validity of this theory. For example, interacting with nature has been shown to lead to an increase in attention and memory, as well improved proofreading performance. Furthermore, individuals with ADHD experienced a decrease in symptoms after taking a walk in a natural setting (Hartig et al., 1991; Johnson, 2008; Taylor, 2001). In a country where as much as 29% of an average employee’s work day is taken up by distraction and recovery time, nature restoration seems like a good way to help employees stay motivated and attentive.

Physical Health There are significant physical health benefits tied to nature exposure as well. Simply placing patients in hospital rooms with windows facing trees rather than a brick wall resulted in shorter hospital stays, less need for pain medication, and fewer negative comments to nurses (Gigliotti et al., 2004; Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989; Ulrich & Simons, 1986; Wichrowski et al., 2005). Furthermore, engaging with nature has been linked to better pain control, better heart disease outcomes as a result of decreased stress, higher levels of positive affect and engagement in dementia patients, and increased natural killer cells (Jarrott & Yorgason, 2004; Morimoto et al., 2007).

Green Exercise Spending time in nature while engaged in several different types of physical activity including walking, jogging, and strenuous activity has been shown to improve mood and functioning. These activities, done in natural environments, produce greater physical and psychological benefits than exercise conducted in built environments (McMahn, 2018). These positive effects included increases in positive affect, self-esteem, and engagement, as well as decreases in tension, anger, and aggression (McMahon, 2018).

Social Environment Nature exposure within social environments also leads to more positive outcomes. Individuals have average lower mental distress and higher well-being living in urban areas with more green space. Furthermore, children living in green urban areas have significantly lower BMIs than children living in urban areas without green space. Even when controlling for the natural benefits of exercise and social connections, nature connectedness in green areas still significantly predict increased happiness. (Howell et al., 2011; Rothert, 2007; Wilson, 2008; Zelenski & Nisbet, 2014)

Psychological Well-being Perhaps most importantly, nature exposure is tied to many positive psychological outcomes. Exposure to nature has been shown to increase positive emotions, well-being, and lower mental distress as well as allow for better ability to reflect on life problems (Capaldi et al., 2014; Mayer et al., 2009). Furthermore, connection with nature has been correlated with an increase in positive affect, vitality, and life satisfaction (Mackerron & Mourato, 2013). In an international study where participants received random pings to their phone asking how happy they were, individuals were overall happier in green environments as measured through GPS monitoring (White et al., 2013).