Mind & Nature Facts
Mind and nature facts
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The Biophilia Hypothesis holds that all humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life (animals, the stars, etc.) and that peaceful or nurturing elements of nature helps us regain equanimity, cognitive clarity, empathy and hope.
John Muir once climbed to the top of a Douglas Spruce, held on and “rode it” for hours through a wild Sierra storm. He wrote about it in “A Wind-storm in the Forest.”
A number of both indoor and outdoor worker populations may be particularly vulnerable to climate variations. Climate conditions can amplify existing health and safety issues and could lead to new unanticipated hazards.
Flight turbulence could increase significantly under climate change, a study warns, potentially upping the risk of injury — or at least flight anxiety — for future airline passengers. Furthermore, fuel and maintenance costs for carriers could rise.
Nature Deficit Disorder describes the fact that people (especially children) are spending less time outdoors resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems. Kids who do play outside are less likely to get sick, to be stressed or become aggressive, and are more adaptable to life’s unpredictable turns.
An average of 21.5 million people have been forcibly displaced since 2008 due to climate changed-related weather hazards, according to the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees.
The Earth has existed for more than four billion years and has sustained life for more than three billion years. Human beings have existed for just 200,000 years… changes we are now making, however, have exacted a heavy toll on the natural world around us, and now threaten the planet’s ability to provide for us all.
Eighty percent said the calm was sustained for hours, and nearly 80 percent agreed that when they felt agitated, they thought of the videos to calm themselves. A majority also said it improved their relationships with their jailers and a wide majority said it made serving time easier.
Like primatologist Jane Goodall’s work with chimpanzees in Africa, Hutto’s practice of bonding with other species is as simple — and as profound — as getting up each day and roaming the woods with a flock of turkeys. He later turned his attention to a herd of mule deer in Wyoming.
Ecopsychology explores humans’ psychological interdependence with the rest of nature and the implications for identity, health and well-being.
An elementary school in Baltimore is using meditation instead of traditional punishments. The school says the program has helped reduce behavior problems.
Many service men and women are struggling with mental health issues after their tours abroad; this epidemic is claiming the lives of more veterans than the most recent wars themselves. With the growing need for effective mental health services, many veterans are turning to alternative forms of “green” treatment in outdoor settings.
To get an inkling of what a well-designed hospital garden can mean to a seriously ill child, watch the home video posted on YouTube last August of Aidan Schwalbe, a three-year-old heart-transplant recipient.
Shinrin-yoku is a term that means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing." It was developed in Japan during the 1980s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine.
Lake Palcacocha is an example of the immediate threats Peru and other developing countries are facing from climate change. The glacier’s disappearance has made Peru something of a laboratory for human adaptation to climate change. So far, it’s not going very well.
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Outward Bound participants performed 50 percent better on creative problem-solving tasks after three days of wilderness backpacking… Strayer’s hypothesis is that being in nature allows the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s command center, to dial down and rest, like an overused muscle.
Nature Conservancy scientists are helping people and nature thrive together in river systems that have been hit harder than almost any other ecosystem on the planet.
Neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, a brain region active during rumination – repetitive thought focused on negative emotions – decreased among participants who walked in nature versus those who walked in an urban environment.
The Department of Environmental Preservation has gathered studies that conclude that spending even just five minutes around trees has significant health benefits: Boosts immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, improves mood, increases ability to focus (even in children with ADHD), accelerates recovery from surgery or illness, increases energy level, improves sleep
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