The connection between nature and human well-being may be deeper than previously thought. According to a study of over 700 respondents, nature fulfils basic psychological needs intrinsic to humans.
Much research has examined the way individuals form attachments with the physical spaces they inhabit. However, the way people form bonds with natural landscapes remains somewhat of a mystery. Study authors Adam C. Landon and his team speculated that it may have something to do with the fulfillment of psychological needs [autonomy, competence, relatedness].
[R]espondents were told to think of a wilderness area that is special to them and were asked questions designed to assess their place attachment to that area.
Results showed that a landscape’s ability to fulfill psychological needs predicted respondents’ place attachment to the natural area in question. When taken together, the three needs explained “approximately half of the variance in each dimension of place attachment.”
“The importance that people attribute to a physical space is in part a result of that space supporting their psychological needs for feeling connected to other people, experiencing feelings of competence, and autonomy in their behavioral choices,” Landon told PsyPost.
I can see why creating a home garden and then spending time in it is so rewarding, especially if you create and maintain it with your spouse or family – or, on a larger scale, with your community. It’s a direct validation of one’s autonomy, relatedness and competence.
Our alternate online realities get richer and richer, but it’s going to take many centuries of evolution, if not much longer, before any aspect of the Internet can replace the connection humans have with nature. As we live in the Always-On, a big part of our wellness depends on something decidedly offline.