ABSTRACT
Chapters 9 and 10 of Psychology for Sustainability, 5th edition, comprise a section titled What’s Good for the Planet is Good for Us, which makes salient the reciprocal relationship between planetary and human well-being. This second chapter in the pair draws on environmental psychology and ecopsychology in its review of the benefits of contact and connection with nature. The chapter opens with a quote from William James that foreshadows the ecopsychological premise that industrialized living erodes a vital connection with nonhuman nature. This is echoed in Theodore Roszak’s ecological unconscious and E. O. Wilson’s biophilia hypothesis. Supporting evidence comes from work on landscape preferences, biophilic design, place attachment, anthropomorphism, and people’s emotional affinity for animals-especially pets, both live and robotic. Salutogenic and therapeutic effects of natural environments on mental health are reviewed, including discussions of vitamin D from sun exposure; soil bacteria, the gut microbiome, and gut-brain axis; overall hedonic and eudaimonic well-being; and nature-based therapies, ecotherapy, wilderness therapy, and therapeutic landscapes. Richard Louv’s nature-deficit disorder is mentioned in a discussion of the essential role of nature-embedded experiences for optimal child development. Evidence comes from research on natural playgrounds and nature-based learning, such as biophilic classrooms, forest school, and E’STEM. Nature-connected identity, folkbiology, and moral concern for nature are rooted in children’s experiences. Less time spent in nature leads to alienation and a loss of the intimacy that motivates conservation. The chapter concludes with methods for rewilding oneself to restore the essential connection with nature that fosters human flourishing.
