Biophilia

The love of nature may be more than a random sentiment. It may be a part of the very structure of our brains. Scientific evidence now demonstrates that exposure to the natural world can increase rates of healing, decrease stress, restore the mind, and develop an empathic response to the world around us.

It was the acclaimed biologist EO Wilson who coined the term Biophilia.  He argued that the very structure of our brains reflected a relationship with the natural world in which we developed.

It may be best illustrated with its obverse, namely biophobia and our common aversion to snakes and spiders. For those of us dwelling in the UK today, this fear is not rational. We are not actually threatened by these things. So, presumably, fear of snakes and spiders is part of a very basic piece of hardware in our brains carried over from a context where this fear was vital to maintaining life.

In the same way Wilson and others argue that the love of nature is also built into the structure of our brains. Human beings developed in intimate contact with the natural world. It would hardly be surprising then if we find nature strangely comforting. A familiar spot may feel like home. A walk may refresh more deeply than anything else.

Researchers have got to work on this. There is now evidence

• that patients in a hospital improve more rapidly if they have a view of nature outside of their window, research report
• that a walk in the country improves certain mental abilities as compared to a walk in the city. It seems that city life is full of stimuli, which command attention and which we need to actively suppress if we are to remain focussed, while our minds essentially relax when exposed to the natural world. original research
• that stress related disorders such as ADHD can be treated through exposure to the natural world. research report
• that the education of children can be greatly enhanced through immersion in the natural world, providing the youngest with a felt appreciation of the natural world, which they then go on to explore and study in later years. research review This area is also reviewed by The Children and Nature Network

It is also interesting that intimate contact with nature encourages the formation of a contemplative mind, which, in turn, finds belief in God natural and easy. The natural world remains a primary source of faith.

In other words you could say God continually speaks through nature (Psalm 19) and that God actually ministers to us through nature.

You, Lord, are my shepherd
I will never be in need
You let me rest in fields of green grass
You lead me to streams of peaceful water
And you refresh my life (Psalm 23 CEV)

Your comments.