Discussions of the environment today often center around how it is changing, with an emphasis on hopelessness, guilt, fear, and overall negativity. But there’s a missing piece to the conversation: the human-nature connection.
For many of us, the term “climate” is inevitably followed by “change,” conjuring up images of disaster, destruction, and death. A survey conducted by the American Psychological Association in 2020 found that 68% of participants had “at least a little ‘eco-anxiety,’” a term defined by APA and ecoAmerica as “a chronic fear of environmental doom.” The study also found that 56% of adults ranked climate change as the number-one problem the world faces, and that 48% of young adults ages 18 to 34 reported feelings of climate-related stress in their everyday lives.
Clearly, the environment is on our minds, and is taking a toll on our mental health.
But what if we changed the narrative? How would our perspectives on nature change if we felt more closely connected to it?
Obviously, the natural world has the capacity to heal us physically. We derive medicine from plants, trees provide us clean oxygen while absorbing carbon dioxide, and the outdoors offers countless opportunities for exercise. What many are less aware of is the myriad of mental health and psychological benefits that nature can bring us — if only we take the time to interact with it.
Hundreds of studies have proven the benefits of human-nature interactions. Among those benefits are decreased chances of developing depression; healthier brains, particularly the amygdala (which processes emotion and memory); the release of dopamine; regulation of the nervous system; and even decreased crime rates in neighborhoods.
Notably, a research study conducted at the University of Michigan found that productivity increased by 20% after participants spent just one hour in nature. Other studies have found that nature increases openness and creativity by lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Nature also plays a significant role in child development. Studies show that children who are given regular opportunities to interact with the natural world are more confident, calm, and able to focus. Time outside can even decrease symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Unfortunately, most people are not reaping these benefits. The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that Americans spend 90% of their lives indoors. This may help explain why our current climate narrative is so devoid of emotion — many of us don’t feel a conscious connection with our world. We are lacking positive interactions with nature, and so we’re left with only the negative ones to remember: natural disasters, pollution, deforestation.
The good news is that there’s an easy fix to mend our collective relationship with the environment. While it won’t solve our climate crisis alone, spending more time outside is a key piece of the puzzle. Healing our minds with nature will, in turn, provide us with more tools and greater creativity to address climate change. And taking action will ease our minds, creating a loop that mends both the environment and ourselves.
We need to rebuild positive connections with nature. Maybe in the process we will even find new ways to conserve our resources and protect our biodiversity. Maybe we will edge out feelings of hopelessness and find more motivation to each take personal responsibility for the care of our planet. At the very least, we will learn to appreciate our natural world and everything it offers us.
So, take the first step today by stepping outside.
Alyssa Cantwell is The Item’s opinion editor. Her column will appear every other week.
