‘Nature and I are Two’: A Critical Examination of the Biophilia Hypothesis

Joye, Yannick; Block, Andreas De

doi:10.3197/096327111x12997574391724

Cited by 103 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(67 reference statements)

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“…Research support for this hypothesis has shown that humans prefer green and natural over built landscapes (2), and derive physical and psychological benefits from exposure to green areas (3,4). In recent studies, there has been a shift away from regarding biophilia as cognitive awareness of life-like processes, to an affective affiliation with life (5). This affective component might be strongest in children, with phenomenological research revealing a deep appreciation of nature in 6-to 12-y-olds in the United States (6).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of urban gardens in supporting children's biophilia

Hand

Freeman

Seddon

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

110

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Exposure to and connection with nature is increasingly recognized as providing significant well-being benefits for adults and children. Increasing numbers of children growing up in urban areas need access to nature to experience these benefits and develop a nature connection. Under the biophilia hypothesis, children should innately affiliate to nature. We investigated children's independent selection of spaces in their neighborhoods in relation to the biodiversity values of those spaces, in three New Zealand cities, using resource-selection analysis. Children did not preferentially use the more biodiverse areas in their neighborhoods. Private gardens and yards were the most preferred space, with the quality of these spaces the most important factor defining children's exposure to nature. Children's reliance on gardens and yards for nature experiences raises concerns for their development of a nature connection, given disparities in biodiversity values of private gardens in relation to socioeconomic status, and the decline in sizes of private gardens in newer urban developments.biophilia | children | urban biodiversity | resource selection | home range

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of urban gardens in supporting children's biophilia

Hand

Freeman

Seddon

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

110

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…On the same note, the hypothesis that the urban environment is unattractive, unfamiliar, and unhealthy (Roszak, 2001;Shepard, 1982) might also be valid in the context of human evolutionary history. This is a similar view to that described by the biophilia hypothesis, although as several authors have pointed out, biophilia contains inconsistencies when it is examined in strict scientific terms ( Joye & De Block, 2011;Kahn, 1997Kahn, , 1999.…”

Section: Evolutionary Psychology and Ecopsychologymentioning

confidence: 63%

Ecopsychology and Evolutionary Psychology: Implications and Limitations of Habitat Selection Theory

2015

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This paper discusses how evolutionary psychology can be applied to ecopsychology, with particular emphasis on habitat selection theory as a way of making sense of preferences for natural environments. We argue that the usefulness of habitat selection theory is limited by a prevailing view of ''slow'' human evolution, where humans are seen to be best adapted to a hunter-gatherer way of life on the African savanna. Research suggests otherwise, that humans have adapted to a range of different environments and have continued to evolve since the birth of agriculture. Thus, humans today do not long for the African savanna. Implications follow for future research in ecopsychology and the design of the built environment.

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“…Conversely, biophilia has been criticized as being overly broad, based on an overestimation of the evolutionary origins of human affective relations with life-like elements and processes [68,69]. Finally, there are concerns about a neglect of research that has not supported the theory and/or has presented uncompelling results [70][71][72]. Amidst the challenges to biophilia, however, there remains widespread interest in evolutionary origins of human affiliation with nature.…”

Section: Biophiliamentioning

confidence: 99%

From Environmental Connectedness to Sustainable Futures: Topophilia and Human Affiliation with Nature

2015

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Human affiliation with nonhuman nature is an important dimension of environmental concern and support for pro-environmental attitudes. A significant theory of human connectedness with nature, the Biophilia Hypothesis, suggests that there exists a genetically based inclination for human affiliation with the biological world. Both support and challenge to the Biophilia Hypothesis are abundant in the literature of environmental psychology. One response that both challenges and builds upon the Biophilia Hypothesis is the Topophilia Hypothesis. The Topophilia Hypothesis has extended the ideas of biophilia to incorporate a broader conception of nonhuman nature and a co-evolutionary theory of genetic response and cultural learning. While the Topophilia Hypothesis is a new idea, it is built upon long-standing scholarship from humanistic geography and theories in human evolution. The Topophilia Hypothesis expands previous theory and provides a multidisciplinary consideration of how biological selection and cultural learning may have interacted during human evolution to promote adaptive mechanisms for human affiliation with nonhuman nature via specific place attachment. Support for this possible co-evolutionary foundation for place-based human affiliation with nonhuman nature is explored from multiple vantage points. We raise the question of whether this affiliation may have implications for multifunctional landscape management. Ultimately, we propose that nurturing potential topophilic tendencies may be a useful method to promote sustainable efforts at the local level with implications for the global. OPEN ACCESS

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‘Nature and I are Two’: A Critical Examination of the Biophilia Hypothesis

Cited by 103 publications

References 70 publications

The importance of urban gardens in supporting children's biophilia

The importance of urban gardens in supporting children's biophilia

Ecopsychology and Evolutionary Psychology: Implications and Limitations of Habitat Selection Theory

From Environmental Connectedness to Sustainable Futures: Topophilia and Human Affiliation with Nature

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