Nature Connection
Brenda Ortmann, Anoka County Master Gardener Intern
Have you ever wondered why humans are innately drawn to nature and green spaces? The Biophilia Hypothesis, by E.O. Wilson and Steven R. Kellert, is a theory that believes that seeking out natural connections is engrained in our DNA. It says that while plants and humans look a lot different, at the cellular level we see a few key similarities: our genes divide the same way, we need sunshine to survive and our “lifeblood” is identical, except for a single atom. The lifeblood for plants is chlorophyll, which converts the sun’s energy into carbohydrates for their nourishment and survival. The lifeblood for humans is hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs to the cells for our survival. This similarity tells us we evolved from a similar origin.
Plants have been around significantly longer than humans, whereas humans have always been around plants. We cannot live without our green friends because we rely on them. Plants are the only organisms capable of producing food for themselves, as well as for the animals who eat them. Whether through eating, hunting, gathering or sheltering, interaction with the natural world has always been essential for human cognitive development. Humans evolved alongside the natural world for millennia and we have relied on it until relatively recently when humans invented technologies that forever changed our interactions with nature. For the first time, we do not need nature anymore. Or at least, many think so.
We live, work, and drive in artificial environments. However, we still get the physiological effects of being scared or stressed like we would have if a predator were running after us. The source of fear is different now and generally comes from looming deadlines, not from saber-toothed tigers. Fear allowed humans to survive in the natural environment. Now fear causes chronic anxiety, depression, phobias, and general ill-health. The good news is nature is still there and we can still utilize it to improve health, connection, and well-being, but we need to promote the importance of these natural spaces before it is too late to save them. Study after study finds that humans are not only attracted to nature, but nature also has a calming and healing effect on us. It even makes us more innovative and productive.
Before modern technological advances, nature had always been a part of human lives: it connected us and the planet. Slowly through the industrial and technological revolutions, nature was not as important anymore because wealth and advancement took its place. We have become so disconnected from nature that we allow sewage into our rivers, plastics into our oceans, carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, and poisons into our lawns and gardens that kill pollinators and seep into our waterways.
Humans are innately connected to nature, but now we must find a new balance. We can stay in our artificial environments, but we must be able to protect and utilize nature and green spaces. A good start is responsibly tending our gardens, promoting theses spaces to others within our lives, and advocating for the protection for natural environments.
The Anoka County Master Gardeners invite you to visit our website, http://anokamastergardeners.org/ for more plant information.