What is biophilia?
How does nature make you feel? Artists, poets, writers and photographers have been sharing their inspiration and profound experiences of the natural world as far back as history can show. It’s the warmth and comfort of the sun on your back, the invigorating scent of a pine forest or the wonder of a crisp, starry night sky. Now science is showing that our connection with nature has a profound impact on our brains and behavior - an exciting development to support what we already intuitively feel.
The concept of biophilia (which translates to ‘love of life’ in Latin) was popularized by biologist Edward O. Wilson in his book "Biophilia" published in 1984. According to Wilson, humans have an evolutionary connection with nature, and it’s is essential for our physical and mental well-being. It makes sense - we evolved body, mind and spirit in adaptive response to environmental forces over hundreds of thousands of years and we are still wired that way. Science is now showing that exposure to natural elements has been linked to reduced anxiety, stress and cortisol levels as well as increased cognitive function, attention capacity, performance, creativity, and social connection.
Research shows that in North America, people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. The majority of our built environment has not bee designed to maintain our inherent connection with nature and so we can feel disconnected and depressed and not even know why. There are simple ways of integrating nature into our environment - open a window and let some fresh air and light inside, buy some new plants, listen to birdsong, light a candle, or diffuse organic aromatherapy. Get outside every day ideally to a park with trees. Cut a bouquet of flowers. Buy some art that features the elements of earth, air, water or fire.
In essence, biophilia is an important concept that recognizes the need for humans to connect with nature for our mental and physical health. As we continue to live and develop our urban environments, it is essential to incorporate biophilic design principles into our built environment to promote human connection with nature.