Biophilia = the love of life and all living systems
Researchers agree that nature has a positive influence on our health and well-being. We're happier in nature compared to urban habitats. During the past decades our environment has changed drastically, and along with it, our connection to nature.
Most of humankind lives in cities and spends the majority of their time indoors. Still, we're drawn to nature – we visit natural parks and gardens, go jogging in the forest, prefer a window seat, and decorate our homes with plants. Why? What makes us gravitate towards nature?
Our connection to nature is a universal basic human need that is not bound to culture or personality, but has developed during our evolutionary history.
Biophilia, "the love of life and all living systems", is a theory that aims to explain our innate desire to stay close to nature. The word was first used by the German psychologist Erich Fromm in his book The Heart of Man. Later it was used by the biologist Edward Wilson. According to him, our connection to nature is a universal basic human need that is not bound to culture or personality, but has developed during our evolutionary history.
Let's return to the birthplace of humans, hundreds of thousands of years ago: the African savannah. Our ancestors lived a life of hunting and gathering, relying on the resources provided by nature. Diverse plant and animal life was a sign of food, water, and shelter.
We have descended from the people who looked for these signals that were crucial for their survival. Our brains still carry these inherited features, which unconsciously continue to affect our lives. Our brains interpret unnatural environments as a sign of insecurity, which can cause stressful reactions.
Although returning to the African savannah might not be a practical solution, luckily research shows that even bringing in natural elements, such as plants, can have a positive influence on our well-being.
"Biophilia acts as the will behind conserving our planet - by destroying the source of food and clean air, water, and land, we are destroying ourselves. We have an innate understanding of the importance of nature"
- E. O. Wilson, 1984