The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative

by Florence Williams

And yearning is a devastating thing, because it is defined by loss.

The biophilia hypothesis posits that peaceful or nurturing elements of nature helped us regain equanimity, cognitive clarity, empathy and hope.

Biophilia explains why even today we build houses on the lake, why every child wants a teddy bear, and why Apple names itself after a fruit and its software after noble predators, surfing spots and national parks.

Our relationship with nature is everywhere

“If you have time for vacation, don’t go to a city. Go to a natural area. Try to go one weekend a month. Visit a park at least once a week. Gardening is good. On urban walks, try to walk under trees, not across fields. Go to a quiet place. Near water is also good.”

exercise is the single best way to prevent aging-related cognitive decline.

Perhaps what matters is not the source of the stress but the ability to recover from it.

Nature appears to act directly upon our autonomic systems, calming us, but it also works indirectly, through facilitating social contact and through encouraging exercise and physical movement.

Go outside, often, sometimes in wild places. Bring friends or not. Breathe.

When cities become greener, it makes not only people more resilient but the cities themselves.