Biophilia — a combination of bio (life) and philia (love), is a beautiful term that describes our innate attraction to living things and their wild setting. For most, interacting with nature affords a level of satisfaction and calm that few other experiences provide. If you feel overly stressed and anxious, which setting would you choose for relaxation: a walk in a leafy forest or pounding the pavement downtown?
Have you every wondered why we so much enjoy being surrounded by nature?
Because our ancestors relied on the natural world for both comfort and survival, our deep love for nature may have been passed down through generations. On some primal level, we feel “at home” in nature because it was, quite literally, our ancestral home.
A number of lines of evidence support the idea that close contact with nature is not only a pleasant experience, it’s actually good for our health!
Here are a few examples:
- Greater exposure to urban green spaces is linked to favorable DNA changes that promote longevity.
- Time spent in green spaces is associated with lower blood pressure.
- Walking in a forest induces slowing of the autonomic nervous system linked to relaxation.
- Surgical patients who looked onto a park from their hospital bed required less pain medication than those with a wall view.
- Performance was higher in tests of cognitive function in those who just returned from a walk in nature, compared to walkers in an urban setting.
- Even viewing photographs of plants and animals is associated with measures of greater relaxation.
Some ideas to get extra hits of nature:
Take a few minutes to walk during lunch in a nearby park, put some plants in your work space, or even use a picture of nature as your computer screensaver.
We are naturally drawn to what strengthens our body and spirit. Follow the wild call of biophilia!
References:
Green space exposure linked to Favorable DNA Changes
View Through a Window May Influence Recovery from Surgery
The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting with Nature
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