The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective

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Niles, D. The charcoal forest: ecology, aesthetics and the Anthropocene. Pre-print at SocArXiv https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/hk5g8 (2018). Norton, B. C. Sustainability: A Philosophy of Adaptive Ecosystem Management 49 (Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago, 2005).

Chang P. J., Bae, S. (2017). Positive emotional effects of leisure in green spaces in alleviating workefamily spillover in working mothers. Int J Environ Res Publ Health 14:757 It remains unclear precisely which elements of a view of nature are beneficial, hampering the design of natural therapy interventions or of urban greenspaces themselves. Three quarters of studies only make a coarse division between “urban” and “nature” when studying the beneficial effects of nature views [ 18], and so we remain unsure which visual elements of landscapes are responsible for the benefits. It may be that only a combination of elements in a coherent scene confers benefits, or it may be that individual elements alone are sufficient. For example, the colours of nature could be important. Blues and greens, which predominate in nature scenes are low-arousal, low-anxiety, and highly preferred colours [ 25, 26, 27], while the gray colours of urban scenes seem to result in feelings of aggression [ 28] and dominance [ 25]. Akande QO, Aduwo EB (2019) Assessment of biophilic design patterns on skill development, in Minna, Niger State. J Physics 1378(4):042078. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1378/4/042078 Another recent study found that people who are more naturally prone to experiencing awe felt more humility and were rated as more humble by their friends.The Belmont Challenge: A Global, Environmental Research Mission for Sustainability (International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change Research, 2011); https://www.belmontforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/belmont-challenge-white-paper.pdf Zelenski and Nisbet studied whether connection itself is the magic ingredient. They assessed the overlap between connectedness with nature and a general sense of connectedness, such as feeling in tune with one’s friends or community. They found that feeling connected to nature was a significant predictor of happiness even after controlling for the effects of general connectedness ( Environment and Behavior, Vol. 46, No. 1, 2014). “People who feel that their self-concept is intertwined with nature report being a bit happier,” says Zelenski. “Nature connectedness isn’t the biggest predictor of happiness, but [the association between the two] is quite consistent.” Biophilia as a concept promoted the idea that connection with nature plays an essential role in physical and mental health, and this has been proven in many studies [ 16, 29] In modern society, it also plays a significant role in social and family relationships [ 30]. It is also useful in highly dense urban areas office workers [ 31] and helps in stress reduction for university students and staff [ 32]. Furthermore, a study proved the inherent psychological and physiological link between humans and nature and evaluated the research supporting the social, environmental, and economic benefits of biophilia [ 33]. Spending time in nature can act as a balm for our busy brains. Both correlational and experimental research have shown that interacting with nature has cognitive benefits—a topic University of Chicago psychologist Marc Berman, PhD, and his student Kathryn Schertz explored in a 2019 review. They reported, for instance, that green spaces near schools promote cognitive development in children and green views near children’s homes promote self-control behaviors. Adults assigned to public housing units in neighborhoods with more green space showed better attentional functioning than those assigned to units with less access to natural environments. And experiments have found that being exposed to natural environments improves working memory, cognitive flexibility and attentional control, while exposure to urban environments is linked to attention deficits ( Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol. 28, No. 5, 2019). Park, J., Conca, K. & Finger, M. The Crisis of Global Environmental Governance: Towards a New Political Economy of Sustainability (Routledge, London, 2008).

Good biophilic design is usually drawn based on the user’s influential perspectives which can be impacted by health conditions, sociocultural norms, past experiences, and frequency and duration of experience are some of the most common examples [ 10]. The first category Nature in the Space includes all the direct, physical, and ephemeral existence of nature in a place. The influence of the nature in the space experience can be achieved through three main factors which are diversity, movement, and multi-sensory interactions, for instance Some flowerbeds and bird feeders; this category consists of seven biophilic design patterns and they are visual connection with nature, non- visual connection with nature, non-rhythmic sensory stimuli, thermal & airflow variability, presence of water, dynamic & diffuse light, and connection with natural systems [ 10]

Nature and happiness

Wijesooriya N, Brambilla A (2020) Bridging biophilic design and environmentally sustainable design: a critical review. J Cleaner Production 283:124591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124591