Getting a daily dose of nature

The environment. Everything we need in order to live is right there in front of us. Air, water, soil, plants, animals, humans: we’re all part of a whole. Join us as we explore biophilia, a vibrant connection, that unseverable umbilical cord between us and nature.

Essential nature

We know it. We sense it. We need nature. Our entire beings feel it. Why? Why are we so drawn to it? The connection is so instinctive that it’s hard to put into words. In fact, it’s mainly when it’s lacking that nature leaves its deepest impression.

In 1984, researcher Roger S. Ulrich¹ measured the impact of nature on our lives by studying patients recovering from surgery. Some had a view of leafy trees from their bedside windows, while others saw only a brick wall. Patients who could see nature from their beds healed, on average, a day faster and had fewer postsurgical complications. Nature helps us heal. In this case, it relieved pain and anxiety.

You needn’t be hospitalized to feel its effects. According to Frances Kuo², from the University of Illinois, having trees in low-income Chicago suburbs reduced violence and crime by 7%. She also found that children with ADHD focused better after a simple walk in a park.

These studies illustrate the concept advanced by the renowned entomologist Edward O. Wilson: biophilia, that innate attraction we all feel to nature. Of course, we all experience it differently. This atavistic need, an evolutionary throwback to our days on African savannas, seems to be written in our genes. That’s why a wide-open landscape is reassuring, for it means that we can spot any approaching predators. Hearing a river and seeing trees and flowers tells us there is water and food nearby. We’re in a restful, safe place of abundance.

Even today, looking at a landscape, or simply a picture of one, relaxes us³. Actually being in a natural environment is even better. That’s why it’s so important for us city-dwellers to have aplace like Montréal Space for Life in the heart of the city, where we can immerse ourselves in a variety of ecosystems.

Whether we’re at the Biodôme, the Biosphère, the Insectarium, the Jardin botanique, or the Planétarium, we immediately feel good, at home and in our element. The concrete disappears from view. Our experience is filled with rustling leaves, lush greenery, intriguing scents, a chorus of animal calls, splendid insects and brilliant stars. Total well-being.

Sources

¹ Ulrich RS, “View through a window may influence recovery from surgery,” Science, 1984 v224 p420(2)
² www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217092758.htm
³ www.scientificamerican.com/article/nature-that-nurtures/