12/04/2024
Are we Dis-Located from the Outdoors?
We often think of going into nature as a luxury, not a necessity, as we stroll through the forest sniffing lavender and pine, or as we book that holiday hotel on the beach. However, we might want to consider that we evolved in nature so it's strange that we have become so disconnected. I know on this mailing list I am communicating with nature coverts, but if you think about family, friends, and those we walk alongside in the office, many people don't recognize how eco-alienated they have become.
Interesting, researcher and psychologist, Elizabeth Nisbet, from Trent University in Ontario, sent 150 students on a walk. 75 of them were going to traverse a pathway alongside a canal, and the other 50% were going to go through various concrete tunnels connecting diverse academic departments of the University.
Before they set off they were asked to predict how enjoyable the walk was going to be. On their return they completed a questionnaire that measured their wellbeing. Most of them over-estimated how pleasurable the tunnel walk would be, and under-estimated the benefits of the nature walk.
Social scientists advocate that forecasting errors, as displayed by the students, play a big part in how people chose to construct their lifestyles. Thus, Nisbet's dejected conclusion was:
"People may avoid nearby nature because of their chronic disconnection from nature causes them to underestimate the hedonistic benefits."
I am looking forward to all the Nature Enthusiasts who are working in a Corporate Environments joining me, and our surprise world-renown guest, on the next Weekly Wilderness Webinar where we MEET THE MASAI and a TRADITIONAL ELEPHANT MATRIARCH
