Biophilia
... Since the dawn of human evolutionary history, individuals who were able to grasp weak signals from the natural world were more likely to find food, escape the elements and avoid being killed by predators. According to the theory of Biophilia, initially proposed by Wilson, the human species possesses "an innate attraction on a biological basis for nature and for all its forms of life" [6]. This interest is the product of the co-evolution between man, animals and the environment; it is a process in which animals and nature were the actors and the scenario within which the human species evolved [7]. ...
... Homo sapiens has a long history of causing ecological problems [24] and an evolutionary approach can help to understand why humans are so environmental destructive and respond non-adaptively to the biological hazards like the recent pandemics [2,25]. The lack of exposure of our species during the delicate phase of development to the natural world only increases our propensity as a species for ecological destruction [6] and generates a lack of knowledge about biological risks especially in children and adolescents [26]. Furthermore, the cognitive biases of "Loneliness of species", "Generalist/specialist", "Silverback age effect" and the "Age/gender" further aggravate our blindness towards the risks and crimes that our species commits towards the environment and nature in which we live, making ourselves the architects of our extinction. ...
Cognitive biases are consistent and predictable mental errors caused by our simplified information processing strategies. Some cognitive-ecological biases have a negative and specific impact on the organization of Intelligence Communities and in particular on the mechanisms of integration of competencies between Medical and Cyber Intelligence, and they represent a serious threat to Cyber security. The spread of these systematic errors is practically ubiquitous and most, if not all, Intelligence analysts are at risk of error due to bias since it is a generalized phenomenon neither correlated with intelligence nor with other specific cognitive ability. The lack of exposure to the natural world of our species during the delicate phase of development only increases our propensity as a species for ecological destruction, generates a lack of knowledge about biological risks and amplifies the negative effects of these cognitive biases. We are not immune to evolutionary influence and since these biases have been present for a long time in our evolutionary history, it is very difficult to overcome them and implement "debiasing strategies". A potential "debiasing" model organization based on the competence’s integration between Medical and Cyber Intelligence is proposed. The key role within this model is represented by the “Symbiont or Cybiont”. This figure will be able to utilize the computer network as a mean for rapid communications, storage and retrieval of large bodies of knowledge. This augmented knowledge will be used also for reducing human’s ecological impact on nature and improving the debiases strategies of the Intelligence Communities.
... For instance, it has become increasingly clear that the exposure to natural environments can reduce psychological and physiological stress (Ulrich et al., 1991;Berto, 2014), with new evidence of a causal effect on stress-related brain regions (Sudimac et al., 2022). Such mechanisms are linked to the biophilia hypothesis which suggests an innate evolutionarybased tendency for humans to connect with nature (Wilson, 1984). This hypothesis has been extended onto man-made environments, and frameworks of biophilic design have emerged (Browning et al., 2014;Kellert and Calabrese, 2015;Salingaros, 2015Salingaros, , 2019Coburn et al., 2019), proposing that elements such as light, colors, fractals, representation of nature, and also curves, not only increase perceived aesthetic value, but can also reduce stress in humans (Salingaros, 2019;Yin et al., 2020). ...
The interest in the response to contours has recently re-emerged, with various studies suggesting a universal preference for curved over angular stimuli. Although no consensus has yet been reached on the reasons for this preference, similar effects have been proposed in interior environments. However, the scarcely available research primarily depends on schematic or unmatched stimuli and faces heterogeneity in the reported results. In a within-subject design, we investigated the claimed contour effect in photo-realistic indoor environments using stimulus material previously tested in virtual reality (VR). A total of 198 online participants rated 20 living room images, exclusively manipulated on the contours (angular vs. curved) and style (modern vs. classic) levels. The scales represented aesthetic (beauty and liking) and stress (rest and stress) responses. Beyond our main focus on contours, we additionally examined style and sex effects to account for potential interactions. Results revealed a significant main effect of contours on both aesthetic (η 2 g = 1-2%) and stress (η 2 g = 8-12%) ratings. As expected, images of curved (vs. angular) contours scored higher on beauty, liking, and rest scales, and lower on stress. Regarding interactions with style, curvature was aesthetically preferred over angularity only within images depicting modern interiors, however, its positive effect on stress responses remained significant irrespective of style. Furthermore, we observed sex differences in aesthetic but not in stress evaluations, with curvature preference only found in participants who indicated female as their sex. In sum, our study primarily confirms positive effects of curvature, however, with multiple layers. First, the impact on aesthetic preference seems to be influenced by individual and contextual factors. Second, in terms of stress responses, which might be especially relevant for designs intended to promote mental-health, the consistent effects suggest a more generalizable, potentially biophilic characteristic of curves. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate these effects in fully-matched, photo-realistic, and multi-perspective interior design stimuli. From the background of a previous VR trial from our research group, whereby the same rooms did not elicit any differences, our findings propose that static vs. immersive presentations might yield different results in the response to contours.
... Not unlike ART, SRT is grounded on a psycho-evolutionary perspective, i.e., it assumes that human beings are (still) innately bound with the natural environment as their habitat, while being not fully adapted to modernized urban settings, which (on an evolutionary perspective) appeared recently in human history. This assumption is in line with Wilson's biophilia hypothesis [9], according to which humans, as a product of evolution, have an innate affinity with living things and the natural world in general. In SRT, this implies that, on the one hand, environments devoid of nature are perceived as sources of potential threats and leading to a stress response, and, on the other hand, elements of nature such as water and trees elicit positive affective responses, an evolutionary adaptation that would increase the chances of survival. ...
Natural environments have been shown to trigger psychological and physiological restoration in humans. A new framework regarding natural environments restorative properties is proposed. Conditioned restoration theory builds on a classical conditioning paradigm, postulating the occurrence of four stages: (i) unconditioned restoration, unconditioned positive affective responses reliably occur in a given environment (such as in a natural setting); (ii) restorative conditioning, the positive affective responses become conditioned to the environment; (iii) conditioned restoration, subsequent exposure to the environment, in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus, retrieves the same positive affective responses; and (iv) stimulus generalization, subsequent exposure to associated environmental cues retrieves the same positive affective responses. The process, hypothetically not unique to natural environments, involve the well-documented phenomenon of conditioning, retrieval, and association and relies on evaluative conditioning, classical conditioning, core affect, and conscious expectancy. Empirical findings showing that restoration can occur in non-natural environments and through various sensory stimuli, as well as findings demonstrating that previous negative experience with nature can subsequently lower restorative effects, are also presented in support of the theory. In integration with other existing theories, the theory should prove to be a valuable framework for future research.
Objectives
this scoping review aimed to explore the diversity of existing nature-based mindfulness (NBM) interventions. The specific objectives of this review were to (1) describe the practices and methods that are used in NBM interventions, and to (2) determine the environmental conditions that are typically associated with NBM interventions.
Method
Thirty peer-reviewed scientific studies were identified via a systematic PRISMA search protocol and then thematically analysed and categorically organised.
Results
In relation to the first research objective, a typological scheme for classifying NBM interventions was proposed in which four main categorizations of NBM interventions were identified, including (1) conventional practices combined with nature, (2) activity-based practices using nature, (3) NBM therapy practices, and (4) emerging practices. These themes demonstrate the diversity of existing NBM interventions and provide a more integrated understanding of the applicability of these interventions across different clinical and non-clinical contexts. In relation to the second research objective, existing NBM interventions were found to be conducted in (1) naturally occurring, (2) curated natural, and (3) simulated natural environments. Within these categories, a diverse range of restorative environments were identified as suitable contexts for NBM interventions, with forest-based interventions being the most commonly used environment.
Conclusions
Overall, this study contributes to a more integrated understanding of the practices, methods, and environmental conditions typical of existing NBM interventions, proposes a classification scheme for NBM interventions, and identifies a number of new developments within the field as well as promising avenues for future research and practice.
Preregistration
This study has not been preregistered.
Background
A vital element to understanding the the health and wellbeing of both humans and the environment is human-nature interactions. The biophilia hypothesis is referred to when discussing these interactions. This hypothesis suggests that due to evolution, humans have an innate urge to seek out nature. The concept of nature connectedness was developed from this hypothesis and is rooted in the belief that human identity and nature can be intertwined. This research aims to explore the intricate details of how an individual builds this connection in a meaningful way.
Methods
This is done using a modified Delphi method. A Delphi study in its typical form aims to gather the consensus of a group of experts in a specific area of interest. This modified Delphi aims to break down the barrier between the public and the experts by creating a second category of participants referred to as our ‘expanded experts.’ Expand experts are described as individuals with lived experience of being connected to nature in the everyday. This category comprises of artists, city planners, activists and many more. This allows for a much more inclusive and real-world exploration of experiences. The participants will first take part in a semi-structured interview process to investigate their experiences of connecting with nature. Following a hybrid thematic analysis with both deductive and indictive coding will be applied to the interviews. These themes will be shared with participants for them to weigh the importance of the theme to the construct to allow a deeper understanding of our interactions with nature.
Results
The results of this project will contribute to and shape the development of a state-of-the-art nature-connectedness scale. Furthermore, understanding how nature connectedness fits into our modern world will allow for more appropriate nature-based interventions for urban residents and beyond.
Examining the impact of the environment on the mental health of older adults is crucial in our aging society. Existing research on the restorative benefits of forests has largely overlooked older adults and, in most cases, focused only on group forest visits, which were restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores the effects of individual walks on the mental health of adults aged 60 years or older in Slovakia. Through a randomized intervention study, participants were divided into groups walking in either forests or urban areas for 40 minutes over a month. The forest walking group exhibited significant improvements in cognitive flexibility, heart rate variability, and reduced acute and relative chronic stress levels, documented by Trail Making Test, photoplethysmography, and both salivary and hair cortisol measurements, respectively. The results were associated with forests featuring high species diversity and complex forest structures, typical in mixed forests with old trees. The respective patterns originated from natural processes or were achieved by more and less intense management for recreational purposes, illustrating manifold ways to ensure the desired, health- and subjective well-being-centered cultural ecosystem services of forests, specifically reflecting specific needs of older adults in the cognitive health domain.
While urban walking also benefits various quality-of-life aspects, forest walking is particularly notable for cognitive function enhancement. However, urban walking may be more suitable, convenient, or safer for frail older individuals, considering their sensitivity to factors impacting physical health. Specifically, walking in urban areas may be similarly beneficial as forest walking with regard to most of the quality-of-life components. However, when choosing between options available for walking in both forest and urban settings, the study findings strongly favor the former. The results underscore health- and subjective well- being-centered cultural ecosystem services of forests as crucial mental health support, including during crises for vulnerable groups like older adults. Integrating nature-based activities into mental health plans, specifically for these groups, is recommended. Collaboration between public health and forest management experts is vital to develop scalable frameworks focused on safe and accessible forest areas for older adults. Nature- based therapy enhances vitality and productivity in an extended retirement age context while ensuring green spaces benefit both individual and planetary well-being.
Keywords: forest and urban walking, older adults, cognitive flexibility, stress.
Introduction
The urban green space (UGS) is one of the most significant urban spaces with unique visual and social features, including pleasant air, low noise, and vitality, making it a recreational place for citizens, especially the youth. According to previous studies, perceived green space and the interaction with it is associated with mental health and lower symptoms of anxiety and depression. Although the presence of urban and blue-green spaces in Isfahan has a long history, the UGSs have been out of reach, causing a significant impact on youth mental health due to the spread of COVID-19 and the forcing of the Iranian government to severe and long-term lockdown. This study investigates the relationship between the long-term isolation of youth and being away from UGSs on their mental health in Isfahan city.
Methods
In September 2022, the youth (n = 273) in 12 neighborhoods with similar socio-economic status were asked to answer the online questionnaire. To investigate the correlation between perceived UGS and the mental health of the youth, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is done.
Results
The results show that the perceived UGSs negatively relate to the youth’s fear of the reoccurrence of COVID-19 infection, anxiety, and depression. Moreover, the model shows that perceived UGS has an inverse correlation with anxiety (β = −0.24, p = 0.00), and no meaningful correlation exists with depression.
Discussion
These results point to a practical solution for designing UDGs in residential areas for youth according to their benefits for mental health during the epidemic era.
Artykuł prezentuje wyniki prowadzonych przez autorów badań mających na celu weryfikację potencjału wybranych elementów z zakresu optymalnego kształtowania i użytkowania zasobów przyrodniczych w świetle strategii rozwoju miasta Gliwice do roku 2040 „Gliwice 2040”. Dokument ten przedstawia wizję dochodzenia Gliwic do modelu miasta: kompaktowego, odpornego, ekologicznego, kreatywnego i inteligentnego. W realizacji tych postanowień pomóc mają zadania rozwoju w odniesieniu do społeczeństwa, gospodarki i przestrzeni miasta, które zostały zapisane w sposób hierarchiczny jako cele strategiczne i przyporządkowane im cele operacyjne zgrupowane w czterech obszarach priorytetowych. W badaniach autorzy poddali analizie cel operacyjny koncentrujący się na optymalnym kształtowaniu i użytkowaniu zasobów przyrodniczych, w ramach którego realizowane mają być zadania: wspólnego działania na rzecz przyrody, realizacji elementów błękitno-zielonej infrastruktury, realizacji elementów rozwiązań opartycho przyrodę i walka z miejską wyspą ciepła. W tym celu, z wykorzystaniem metody Desk Research polegającej na wyszukiwaniu informacji, gromadzeniu i analizowaniu danych wtórnych, przeanalizowano i porównano planowane rozwiązania z rozwiązaniami już zrealizowanymi i opisanymi w dostępnej literaturze. Następnie, przy użyciu metody Research by Design, polegającej na zorganizowaniu procesu bazującego na kreatywności i innowacyjności projektantów, wykonano oraz przeanalizowano możliwe rozwiązania projektowe w wytypowanych lokalizacjach, koncentrując się na potrzebach przyszłych użytkowników. Powstałe w ten sposób warianty skorelowano z modelowymi rozwiązaniami. We wszystkich przypadkach rozwiązania modelowe badano w Obszarach Strategicznych Interwencji OSI, wskazanych w Strategii 2040, wśród których są: OSI Kultura i Kreatywność, łączący tereny Śródmieścia, dzielnicy akademickiej wrazz parkami Chopina oraz Chrobrego oraz OSI Kłodnica, tworzący funkcjonalnie ciągły zielony teren rekreacyjny w całym biegu rzeki na obszarze miasta.
Aesthetic attractivity stands as an underestimated yet fundamental feature of species in conservation biology, significantly driving disproportionate protection efforts towards charismatic species. Despite the evidence, few attempts sought to precisely quantify the impact of aesthetic attractivity in defining priority of species for conservation actions (e.g. inclusion in International Union for Conservation of Nature red lists and protection lists). This study protocol describes the setting of an online test (available from April 2022 to April 2023 at www.unveiling.eu) designed to i) quantify the aesthetic attractivity to humans of the 496 European butterfly species and ii) identify which features (both in the perceived animal and in the perceiver) influence the aesthetic attractivity of a given butterfly species. The test is divided in 5 sections (personal data, ranking, single morphological features, emotional engagement, dispositional variables) aimed at profiling the relation each participant has with the species examined. In the long-term, evaluating butterflies’ aesthetic attractivity could facilitate the critical assessment of current conservation strategies, such as the process of selection of flag and umbrella species by research institutions, environmental associations and Non Governative Organizations. This is expected to provide the much-needed evidence to set up unbiased biodiversity conservation strategies and counteract the selective anthropogenic pressure which favours the extinction of unattractive species, being no or less protected compared to charismatic species.
Throughout history, humans shared habitats and resources with animals, making human-wildlife interactions (HWI), including conflict, inevitable. Understanding issues before mitigating them is one important aspect of conservation. This study assessed 1,613 registrants' data on public perception of HWI through a computer-mediated communication (CMC) platform by conducting registration surveys for webinar series that discussed relevant HWI cases in Indonesia. Among all the results from five studies, a finding shows there is a consistency of perceptions toward certain animal groups in the context of HWI. Moving forward, this cost-effective method can be replicated to gather public perceptions on conservation issues, allowing conservationists to plan a better urban outreach activity.
Globally, around half (55%) of the population live in fast‐paced urban settings where many people find it challenging to manage their stress and respond to crises with a positive mindset. This resulted in prolonged distress where anxiety and fatigue caused physical and mental health concerns. Nature walks involving immersive exposure in the forest, and green spaces have been posited to offer physiological and psychological benefits. Therefore, in this systematic review, we evaluated the effects of forest bathing on psychological and physiological outcomes. We searched four English and five non‐English databases (Chinese and Korean) for peer‐reviewed studies published between January 2000 and March 2021. This review adhered to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analysis Statement 2020. The primary outcomes explored in this review were mainly psychological, including anxiety, depression, mood and quality of life. The secondary outcomes were physiological outcomes such as blood pressure and heart rate. We conducted a meta‐analysis on each outcome using the random‐effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed by the I2 statistic. Thirty‐six articles (21 in English, 3 in Chinese and 12 in Korean) with 3554 participants were included in this review. Our meta‐analysis suggested that forest bathing can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, we did not observe as many benefits in physiological outcomes. Against the background of the negative effects of urbanization on mental well‐being, this review highlighted the potential therapeutic role of forests in the contemporary world, lending further evidence‐based support for forest conservation.
In the face of global environmental changes threatening health, and despite increased calls for nurses to broker access to nature-based well-being interventions for people with mental health difficulties, there is a surprising absence of literature examining the nature-nursing relationship, inhibiting its inclusion within nursing curricula and practice. This critical interpretive synthesis supports the notion that nature immersion has the capacity to increase positive affect, reduce negative affect, provide restoration from everyday stress, promote meaning-making, enhance belonging, and foster an interest in caring for the natural world. Yet, critical examination of the literature reveals multiple social and environmental inequalities and unmasks latent anthropocentric, gendered, and colonialist thinking, which threatens the delivery of equitable and just sustainable practice. Recommendations are made for a transdisciplinary, systemic approach, which recognizes and responds to our shared humanity and vulnerability in pursuit of planetary health.
Clean meat shows great potential as an alternative to conventional meat and may help to mitigate sustainability problems stemming from the meat industry. However, this novel method of producing meat is currently being met by consumer hesitancy due to perceptions of unnaturalness and feelings of disgust. While prior research has shown that appeal positioning based on naturalness and ethicality, for example, may enhance the acceptance of clean meat, these findings are limited because prior research has only examined different appeals in isolation, and no research has explored the psychological mechanism underlying the effect of these appeals. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine how a joint appeal based on both natural and ethical aspects of clean meat is more effective in enhancing consumer preference. Specifically, two experiments were conducted among participants from the US (n = 302) and the UK (n = 303) to examine whether a joint appeal is more effective than a single appeal focusing on either naturalness or ethicality, and no appeal. Extending the current literature, our findings show that the joint appeal increases the effectiveness of the communication, with participants in this condition showing a significantly higher preference toward the product when compared to those in the single-appeal or no-appeal conditions. The results also demonstrate that disgust and compassion underlie the effect of the joint appeal on consumer preference. Taken together, the current research provides insights to enhance the effectiveness of marketing interventions in promoting consumer preference for and acceptance of clean meat.
Human-animal interaction has clear positive effects on people’s affect and stress. But less is known about how animal interactions influence cognition. We draw parallels between animal interactions and exposure to natural environments, a research area that shows clear improvements in cognitive performance. The aim of this study is to investigate whether interacting with animals similarly enhances cognitive performance, specifically executive functioning. To test this, we conducted two experiments in which we had participants self-report their affect and complete a series of cognitive tasks (long-term memory, attentional control, and working memory) before and after either a brief interaction with a dog or a control activity. We found that interacting with a dog improved positive affect and decreased negative affect (in one of the two experiments), stress, and anxiety compared to the control condition. However, we did not find effects of animal interaction on long-term memory, attentional control, or working memory. Thus, we replicated existing findings providing evidence that interacting with animals can improve affect, but we did not find similar improvements in cognitive performance. These results suggest that either our interaction was not of sufficient dose or timed appropriately to elicit effects on cognition or the mechanisms underlying effects of human-animal interaction on cognition differ from effects generated by other cognition-enhancing interventions such as exposure to nature. Future research should continue to increase knowledge of the connection between nature exposure and human-animal interaction studies to build our understanding of cognition in response to animal interactions.
Nowadays, most zoos have taken prominent and active positions in endangered species conservation and educating visitors about the value of biodiversity. However, to be effective and trusted in their mission, they must act ethically and have a good reputation. Yet, the drivers that can influence their reputation are still little investigated, and there are still few studies focused on assessing the reputation of these institutions. In the present work, we report the development of a tool, the Zoo Ethical Reputation Survey (ZERS), and its pilot application to assess the opinions of the visitors of two zoos, one in Italy and one in Germany, on drivers that may influence the ethical reputation of zoos. Preliminary results based on the answers of 274 respondents show that visitors’ opinions on zoos acting with ethical responsibility are correlated with emotional appeal and familiarity with these institutions. The application of ZERS can help zoos identify weaknesses in their reputation and develop new strategies to improve people’s attitudes towards them, bringing many benefits to the individual zoo and zoological institutions in general.
Landscape change caused by ecological restoration projects in the karst rocky desertification area of southwestern China has presented ecological benefits, yet the visual aesthetic perception of the restored landscape has received less attention. Meanwhile, given the unpredictable worldwide health emergency caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic, it inspired us to be concerned about will citizens’ aesthetic perceptions and attitudes to the change of restored landscape from pre‐ to during the outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Organizing an online survey, we explored citizens’ visual aesthetic perceptions and attitudes to natural restored landscape (NRL) and managed restored landscape (MRL) on 757 citizens in Shilin Geopark (in Kunming, China), as well as how citizens’ sociocultural backgrounds influence visual aesthetic preference. The results indicated that before the COVID‐19 pandemic, the professionals preferred NRL, while the nonprofessionals presented a higher preference for MRL. However, during the COVID‐19 pandemic, both two groups showed a higher preference for NRL, which implied that the experience of lockdown during the COVID‐19 pandemic might awaken most citizens’ preference for the natural restored landscape. Among different kinds of restored plant communities, the landscape dominated by shrubs (SL) was the most popular. Furthermore, gender, age, career type, education, region, and citizens’ visit frequency were significantly correlated with visual aesthetic perceptions before the COVID‐19 pandemic. During the COVID‐19 pandemic, professional background, gender and age did not show significant impacts on visual aesthetic perceptions anymore. These results highlight the necessity of understanding visual aesthetic perceptions in different socio‐demographic groups to encourage natural succession and create a nature‐based restored landscape in the karst area. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Mental health benefits have been linked to human interaction with nature. However, most studies have been carried out in developed countries, limiting the generalizability of empirical findings to other parts of the world. To address this gap, this study was conducted in Brazil. The objective of the study was to assess whether the frequency of contact with nature affects the occurrence of anxiety, stress, and depression. Data were collected between June and July 2022 through an online survey (n = 1186, 1 − α = 0.95, p = 0.05, 1 − β = 0.85, rho = 0.1). Thus, the public online survey made it possible to carry out voluntary response sampling suitable for an exploratory study, with the purpose of an initial understanding of an under-researched population. First, a logistic regression was performed for quantifying the association between contact with nature and mental symptoms. In addition, three groups of people having different frequencies (low, medium, and high) of contact with nature and a reference group, comprised of those who reported no contact, were compared using Kruskal–Wallis and Dwass–Steel–Chritchlow–Fligner tests. This study employs a cross-sectional design and relies on retrospective recall. As a result, the research hypothesis was confirmed. People who very rarely have contact with nature had a 97.95% probability of moderate occurrence of stress, which decreases to 20.98% for people who have contact with nature frequently. Furthermore, in the same comparison, the probability of occurrence was 3.6 times lower for anxiety and 4.8 times lower for depression. In conclusion, the evidence indicates that the greater the frequency of contact with nature, the lower the occurrence of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Nevertheless, the benefits of this contact were significant only when its frequency was moderate (about once or twice a week) or higher.
This paper offers a detailed empirical account of how human‐environment relations were reconfigured in the UK and Ireland during the 2020‐2021 COVID‐19 lockdowns, a period which natural scientists defined as the COVID‐19 Anthropause. Bringing this scientific concept into conversation with geographical work, we consider the lived experiences of anthropause as both a lived condition and an historical moment of space‐time decompression. Our expanded conceptualisation of anthropause brings it into everyday life and develops a more hopeful politics than those offered by the ‘Great Acceleration’ narrative, which suggests digital media and urbanisation separate humans from nature. In contrast, we identify affirmative and inclusive modes of 'anthropause environmentalism' and explore their potential for fostering convivial human‐nature relations in a world that is increasingly urban, digital, and powered by vernacular expertise. To make this argument, we turn to the Self‐Isolating Bird Club, an online birdwatching community operating across several social media platforms which, at the pandemic’s height, reached over fifty thousand members. We trace three key changes to human‐nature relations illustrated by this group which we use to structure our paper: connection, community, and cultivation. The COVID‐19 Anthropause recalibrated the fabric and rhythms of everyday life, changing what counts as a meaningful human‐nature relationship. This paper will be of interest to geographers exploring environmental change at the interface of more‐than‐human and digital geographies, as well as environmentalists and conservationists. To conclude, we offer suggestions as to how scholars and practitioners might harness the lessons of anthropause to prepare for the coming ‘anthropulse’.
A growing number of organisations and institutions are using sustainability and horticultural interventions in the correctional context for their supposed healing, rehabilitative or therapeutic benefits. This article thematically reviews a range of qualitative, quantitative, case study, meta‐analysis, and controlled experimental research studies – to compare what is known about therapeutic horticulture interventions with research on pathways to desistance from crime. It finds the following areas are both evidence‐based outcomes in therapeutic horticulture and factors that likely contribute to desistance from crime: identity transformation; education and vocational training; mental health and wellness; social support; and spirituality and religion. Overall, the review will be of interest to practitioners implementing therapeutic horticulture in correctional or community settings, and researchers studying re‐entry or resettlement programmes, therapeutic horticulture, and desistance.
In a high‐rise building, due to the risk of flame spread and strict regulations associated, wood use is limited for interior finishes. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a thin organosilicon layer (∼500 nm) prepared by atmospheric pressure plasma on the fire behavior of a wood substrate. The coating was deposited from hexamethyldisiloxane in argon on both untreated wood and wood with a preparatory coating of primer. The primer reduces the presence of cracks in the plasma layer and ensures more homogenous coverage of the substrates. Finally, the flame retardancy analysis highlights an improvement in fire behavior only when the primer is used. Our study suggests that plasma thin deposition has a synergic effect with primer to fireproof wood. Wood flammability is a limiting factor in its use in construction, despite its low cost and environmental impact. This article explores this interest in using atmospheric plasma jet deposition of hexamethyldisiloxane to increase the wood fire‐retardancy. Chemical and morphological analysis demonstrate that the plasma deposition is more homogenous when a primer coating is applied on wood. The homogeneity of the deposition has a positive impact on wood fire retardancy.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the tourism industry worldwide. This study examines the relationships among potential tourists’ emotional states, psychological resilience, and their travel intention to a national forest park in the context of COVID-19. It also investigates the moderating effect of gender. Kanas National Forest Park on the northwestern border of China was chosen as the research case. The survey questionnaires were administered both online and offline to collect data. A total of 492 valid questionnaires were collected (263 from online and 229 from offline) and analyzed in this study. Results demonstrate that visitors’ positive emotions have significant positive effects on their psychological resilience and travel intention. Yet, visitors’ negative emotions have significant negative effects on psychological resilience and travel intention. Moreover, psychological resilience partially mediates the relationship between emotional state and travel intention, indicating that visitors’ positive emotion and negative emotion can not only directly affect travel intention, but also indirectly affect travel intention through psychological resilience. The results of moderating effect analysis indicate that men and women are found to have differences in the experience of emotion, and women are more advised to foster positive emotions and psychological resilience. Visitors are advised to advocate more mutual encouragement, and tourism practitioners are recommended to provide tailored services to reduce travel anxiety. Findings provide implications on emotional regulation for tourists and crisis management strategies for nature-based tourism destinations.
Despite the global nature of environmental problems, research on environmental psychology has been mainly based on Western countries, and very limited studies looked into environmental psychological constructs and processes through a non-Western cultural lens. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the short-form Nature Relatedness Scale (NR-6) and investigated culturally relevant mechanisms that facilitate the positive influence of nature relatedness on green purchase intentions among Filipinos. Two studies were conducted to attain these objectives. Study 1 (N = 504) validated the NR-6. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a stable unidimensional factor structure of NR-6 with good data-model fit and strong factor loadings. Study 2 (N = 366) tested a moderated mediation model indicating the mediating role of social responsibility on nature relatedness and green purchase intention relationship across the different levels of interdependent self-construal. Results indicated that social responsibility mediated the positive impact of nature relatedness on the intention to buy green products among Filipinos. More importantly, results showed a significant moderating role of interdependent self-construal such that the indirect effect of social responsibility was stronger among Filipinos with higher levels of self-construal than those with lower levels. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.
Worldwide, urbanization has created completely novel environments, which bring many conveniences but carry several drawbacks too. One of the most important disadvantages is that most people living in cities lose contact with nature including interaction with animals. Current evidence shows that countries with lower levels of urbanization also have a lower prevalence of animal fears and phobias.
Here, we sought to test whether nature relatedness (NR) and residence size serve as protective factors to the most common animal fears and phobias (i.e. that of snakes and spiders).
We used the NR Scale to measure the individuals' subjective connection with nature. Participants (N = 1,071, aged 18–65 years) were also asked to complete the Snake and Spider Questionnaire (SNAQ and SPQ, respectively) and to rate pictures of snakes and spiders according to valence, arousal and dominance. To explore complex relationships between various explanatory and response variables, we employed a generalized linear model, redundancy analysis and structural equation modelling.
Results show that snake and spider fear is strongly associated with the NR total score. Participants scoring higher on the SNAQ and SPQ also evaluate snake and spider images more negatively, are more aroused by the stimuli but feel less dominant over them. Moreover, subjects with higher snake or spider fear scored lower on the NR scale, especially its two subscales, Experience and Perspective.
Results demonstrate that the more people feel connected to nature, the less they are affected by animal fears or phobias. We believe this study presents an important implication for both conservationist endeavours and therapeutic interventions.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
To most conservationists and many parents, it seems obvious that it is a good thing to teach children to value the natural world. Not only does connection with nature support their development and well‐being, but it also supports ongoing efforts by humans to sustain the natural world.
However, there are incontrovertible trends towards a diminution of the state of nature as a consequence of human activities.
In this context, as a thought experiment, we address a rather grim question: Should we still encourage children to be connected to nature, to care for it and be concerned about it?
We first consider the meaning of connection to nature in the Anthropocene, and then turn to a consideration of several ethical dimensions of this problem, including the potential trade‐off between well‐known health benefits of time in nature and the long‐term psychological impacts of loss of nature (e.g., ecological grief and solastalgia).
While there is no simple answer to our question, our analysis does highlight underappreciated ethical dilemmas of the Anthropocene as well as the value of the local, urban forms of nature to which children around the world are increasingly exposed and engaging with in unprecedented ways.
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What might motivate us to not wantonly destroy microbial life on Earth, and if we found it elsewhere, beyond Earth? Critiques against the idea that microbial life has some form of non‐instrumental value have ranged from the fact that we destroy microbes on a day‐to‐day basis to arguments based on perceived opposition to the notion that they have intrinsic value. I challenge these perceptions and suggest that if there is a weakness in the intrinsic value argument, it lies elsewhere, not least in the linguistic problems caused by the term itself. The idea of intrinsic value for microbes may be strongly bound up with the sense of our own virtue, the notion that we might protect microbes because to destroy them reflects badly on ourselves. Regardless of where we locate the argument for intrinsic value, it does not detract from the fundamental observation that we can consider microbial life to have a value beyond its mere use as a resource.
Despite concern about environmental protection, travelers often underestimate the contribution they may have to disease transmission to other species, as well as the risk of becoming infected themselves. Tourists in general tend to accept more physical risks when traveling than when at home, and much of this can be blamed on the temporary loss of situational awareness and loss of inhibition with a corresponding relaxed attitude toward safety. To better understand environmental attitudes and travel health knowledge and behaviors, a detailed survey of adult tourists was distributed on the island of St. Kitts, home to many green monkeys. Data from 1097 respondents were collected at two locations where cruise ship passengers typically visit the island. Results revealed that even though individuals with more positive environmental attitudes were more willing to take steps to mitigate tourism‐related disease transmission, they were also more likely to report wanting to touch or feed a monkey/ape. Similarly, those more willing to prevent the spread of diseases (e.g., wear a mask and report any illnesses to park authorities) were actually more likely to want to touch or feed a monkey/ape. The human desire for physical contact with other species may be partly the result of biophilia, emotionally arousing events (like contact with exotic species) that can lead to further disinhibition, and social media platforms that provide opportunities for exhibitionism. The attitude‐behavior incongruency identified here may also be explained through cognitive‐affective inconsistency: environmentally‐oriented individuals believe that it is prudent to take steps to prevent zoonotic disease transmission but also desire to touch or feed exotic species as it may be emotionally rewarding. Individuals for whom physically interacting with monkeys/apes may be emotionally rewarding may not alter their behavior in response to cognitive means of persuasion; techniques aimed at appealing to emotions may be more effective. Theoretical model outlining educational strategies for mitigating nature‐based tourism‐related zoonotic disease transmission.
Walking around gardens during the summer period is a distraction appreciated by many people, because of the sensory pleasures experienced and the refreshed microclimate of these spaces. The botanical garden of Algiers knows this craze by many visitors in search of nature and contentment. However, what would be the influence of the various sensory parameters in the well-being of walkers during the hot days of summer ? The present article focuses on the study of alliesthesias of visitors to a botanical garden, as positive emotions having an important contribution in subjective well-being. This contribution has been studied using observation techniques, surveys, self-assessment tests. Special attention has been paid to thermal alliesthesia in the context of hot days. Therefore, climatic measurements were carried out and crossed with the results of self-assessment tests and commented routes. This research made it possible to propose a subjective well-being index based on the state of multi-sensory pleasures, and to present a map of thermal alliesthesias. The results showed different appreciations of sensory pleasures in the studied garden spaces, which influenced the evaluation of their indices of subjective well-being
Although young children in Early childhood education (ECE) in Australia are often involved in learning in outdoor natural environments, research on their knowledge and attitudes towards plants is limited. Botanical literacies in young children involve developing knowledge and curiosity about plants, formulating questions about plants, and critically and ethically thinking about plants and their environments. This study explored young children’s knowledge and attitudes of the flora in the native bushlands on their school grounds. A total of 41 children, aged five to eight from two schools in Western Australia were involved in the research over one school year. Fortnightly visits to the school bushlands with the lead researcher involved bush walks, informal and formal conversations about plants, children creating drawings, maps and taking photographs, as well as visits from local Indigenous people to share Indigenous knowledge of the plants. The data were analysed using content analysis and a revised version of (Uno, American Journal of Botany 96:1753–1759, 2009) levels of botanical literacies. The results of this research led to the development of a framework for developing botanical literacies in ECE.
A 2020 scientific report indicated the presence of phosphine, a potential biosignature chemical, in the atmosphere of Venus. As a result, Venus instantly became a global cultural celebrity. How did Venus become so fashionable, so cool in colloquial language, so quickly? I contend that Venus became the center of attention at least temporarily because Venus became moral. Since life at present is a concept that is as much moral as it is scientific, I explain this point by offering a geographically broad sampling of world philosophies that show that secular and religious Western forms of thought strongly value life over nonlife as do many Asian traditions. These cultural valuations of life over nonlife become infused in human psychologies globally and astonish us at the discovery of extraterrestrial life. This essay's substantial culture sample thereby demonstrates that Venus became revered because of deep-seated but also widespread attitudes of special moral attendance to the presence of life especially in extraterrestrial settings.
There are multiple theoretical understandings of connection to nature. Often, scholars define a connection to nature as being the outcome of a process of awakening “biophilia.” They may also define it as the maturation or development of an “ecological self,” where one sees nature as part of oneself, or as an awareness of oneself as a member of a wider biotic community. Using evidence from longitudinal in‐depth interviewing and participant observation, this article examines these differing conceptualizations of connection to nature in lived experience. We find that feeling connected to nature is about feeling an affinity for, and that one belongs within, a wider web of nonhuman relationships. This sense of feeling connected to nature is unstable; it may be felt and then recede according to the circumstances in which people live and their competing priorities. The difficulty of sustaining consistent close relationships with nature in everyday life presents some challenges to the hope that enabling people to feel connected to nature will induce reliable pro‐environmental behavior. Relationships with nature fluctuate, and it is necessary to examine how a connection to nature can be nurtured at every stage of life. Scholars define a connection to nature as being the outcome of a process of awakening “biophilia,” the maturation or development of an “ecological self,” or as an awareness of oneself as a member of a wider biotic community. Using evidence from longitudinal in‐depth interviewing and participant observation, this article examines these differing conceptualizations of connection to nature in lived experience. We find that a connection to nature is an affective experience of belonging, which must be fostered as it changes with circumstances throughout life.
Previous studies have pointed out the importance of emotional affiliation with nature in fostering environmentalism, but the mechanisms through which such emotional motives influence pro-environmental behaviors are still unclear. To address this issue, this study introduced love of nature into the value-belief-norm model as an emotional basis. The model was examined in predicting high-cost and low-cost green consumer behaviors (GCBs) in selected undergraduate student populations in eastern China. Using data from an online survey (N = 291), this study found personal norms positively predicted both high-cost and low-cost GCBs. Ecological worldview positively predicted low-cost GCBs and its effect was larger than that of personal norms. Love of nature had positive effects on biospheric values and personal norms. The relationships between love of nature and the two types of GCBs were mediated mainly by personal norms, ecological worldview, and biospheric values. The results supported the argument that emotional affiliation to nature offers an essential basis for a moral concern that guides GCBs. The findings also suggest moral concerns may be more salient for difficult and inconvenient GCBs.
Art in general perception is something that transcends our notion of reality. In view of the earliest findings in Paleolithic sites, their abstract appearance and sometimes ceremonial context increased their status of a secret language. Even the first figurative cave paintings remained in a context of an encoded semantic whole. The highly symbolic value of art seemed invulnerable. It was just the claim for "mimesis" in Greek antiquity (Plato) that urged artists to "realistically" depict what can be seen-as to stay in track of eternal messages behind. This devaluated the artistic oeuvre to a purely imitating craft and had to overcome at once several inherent obstacles. First, that reality (the phenomenal world) is in general only a pale reflection of what lays behind (Platonic ideas) and second, that the human eye, unlike the human mind, cannot penetrate to more than ephemeral impressions. Moreover, it mixed up reality with what we are able to see (i.e. visual perception), thus supposing a pinpoint representation of the world by our senses. Aristotle was the first to qualify art as picturing more than we usually are meant to see, filling the gap between the sensual and the spiritual world. Aristotelian aesthetics includes concepts of reduction and selection of composition and emotion, thus a summarized view within any performance of poetics or painting. And it took centuries to close the gap between natural and aesthetic perception or art. Life sciences in the 20th century discovered the evolutionary basis of sensory perception as being highly biased and organized, concept as emotion-driven and thus, mentally equipped as well. This sets a new approach in our understanding of perception, art, and aesthetics as an ongoing communication in process on common bases. Art may cooperate or disagree, but never can cut the nexus with its perceptual prejudices and substrate.
Prolonged exposure to urban environments requires higher cognitive processing resources than exposure to nature environments, even if only visual cues are available. Here, we explored the moment-to-moment impact of environment type on visual cognitive processing load, measuring gait kinematics and reaction times. In Experiment 1, participants ( n = 20) walked toward nature and urban images projected in front of them, one image per walk, and rated each image for visual discomfort. Gait speed and step length decreased for exposure to urban as compared with nature scenes in line with gait changes observed during verbal cognitive load tasks. We teased apart factors that might contribute to cognitive load: image statistics and visual discomfort. Gait changes correlated with subjective ratings of visual discomfort and their interaction with the environment but not with low-level image statistics. In Experiment 2, participants ( n = 45) performed a classic shape discrimination task with the same environmental scenes serving as task-irrelevant distractors. Shape discrimination was slower when urban scenes were presented, suggesting that it is harder to disengage attention from urban than from nature scenes. This provides converging evidence that increased cognitive demands posed by exposure to urban scenes can be measured with gait kinematics and reaction times even for short exposure times.
Instances of natural beauty are widely regarded as counterexamples to practice‐based theories of aesthetic value. They are not. To see that they are not, we require the correct account of natural beauty and the correct account of social practices.
This article is an extended discussion from the recent opening presentation for the Annual Winchester Advanced ‘Philosophy for Children’ Seminar in Climate Change Education, Hope and Philosophy for Children. The presentation and text originate from Rosamonde Birch's (2019) Masters’ dissertation research discerning hope through an Education for Sustainable Development Philosophy for Children workshop.
Media articles have claimed that “synthetic mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH)”, which are used in many cosmetics such as lip balms, are unsafe at any dose and should be replaced with natural alternatives. This paper examines whether these claims are correct and whether the perceived safety of these substances is influenced by the language used in the media. To achieve these goals, it first provides an extensive review of the toxicology literature, finding no support that MOSHs are unsafe at current usage levels. It then reviews the psychology literature to examine the effects of labelling a cosmetic ingredient as “natural” rather than “synthetic” and the effects of dose information. A 2 × 2 between-subjects experiments involving adult lip balm users shows that, as hypothesized, the perceived safety of lip balms increases when they are described as containing “naturally sourced mineral oil” rather than “synthetic mineral oil saturated hydrocarbon (MOSH)”, which are both correct descriptions. In addition, the perceived safety increases when the substance is described as being present in a low vs. a high dose, regardless of whether it was described as natural or synthetic. Overall, safety perceptions for common cosmetic substances can be significantly influenced by the language used in media reporting.
The benefits of involving patients as partners in research across diverse medical and psychiatric settings are well established in the literature. However, researchers continue to struggle to access, engage and retain participants from hard-to-reach populations. The main objective of this study was to co-create pet therapy activities with patients admitted for serious and complex mental illness to a large urban mental health and addiction hospital. Informed by the principles of participatory action research methodology, we conducted focus group discussions with 38 inpatients in seven different clinical units. An experienced volunteer handler and a certified therapy dog helped facilitate our discussions. Participating researchers, recreational therapists, volunteer handlers and our participants all reported that the presence of a certified therapy dog at each of our discussions was integral to their success. Certified therapy dogs increased the motivation to participate in our study, helped to build rapport with participants and created connections in our discussions that enriched our data. To our knowledge our study is the first to demonstrate the value of using a therapy dog as a participatory research tool in a healthcare setting. The authors believe that therapy dogs are a low-tech intervention that could be used effectively to engage hard-to-reach populations in research about their treatment and care in a diverse range of medical settings. These findings support the creation of a pilot study to test the value of including therapy dogs in patient-centered research with vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations.
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