Biophilia

Biophilia. It is the concept that Nature holds the key to health and has restorative qualities because of the there is an innate and biological connection between human beings and the natural world.  The term was made popular by Edward O. Wilson, a Harvard naturalist and Pulitzer Prize winning author in his book Biophillia, The Human Bond with Other Species (1984). He writes that this connection is subconscious to humans and that we will seek it for the rest of life.

I am familiar with many studies done on the effects of nature on health and the sense of well-being, but Biophila is new to me.   It explains a lot if you are someone drawn to nature and the outdoors, but if you prefer the concrete jungle, I don’t know if this evolutionary concept fits. But I like it. I think I’ll kick the idea around for a bit…  

Websites:

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/gardening-health

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophilia_hypothesis

http://biophile.co.za/biophilia