Can Nature Make Us More Nurturing?

Acadia National Park, Lynne Peeples

We all know that a dose of nature can lift our spirits and lower our blood pressure. But could a walk around Central Park Lake or up Mount Rainier also make us more caring and generous people? A new study published in the October issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin suggests that a greater connection with the natural world may improve our relationship with fellow humans.

“We [often] don’t take the time to really immerse ourselves in nature, to really appreciate the surroundings that we have,” Richard Ryan, coauthor of the paper and professor of psychology, psychiatry and education at the University of Rochester, said in a video accompanying the press release. “When people are exposed to nature it changes their attitudes.” And that transformation, the study's findings suggest, is usually for the better.

Ryan and his colleagues conducted four studies in which they exposed participants to either natural or man-made settings, asking them via questionanaires before and after what they valued as most important in life. In three of the experiments, the participants were shown a series of computer images of landscapes or cityscapes that included approximately equal levels of color, complexity, light and layout. (For example, a cityscape with tall buildings and a bustling foreground might be matched with a picture of a vegetation-filled meadow in front of a mountainous backdrop.) In the fourth, the participants were randomized to complete a follow-up questionnaire in rooms differing only in their living décor: one was filled with plants, the other left completely sterile.

The results indicated that those who spent more time communing with or contemplating on nature were less interested in fame and wealth and more interested in charity and community. "Nature in a way strips away the artifices of society that alienate us from one another," Andrew Przybylski, a coauthor at the University of Rochester, said in the press release.

The study did not measure how long such selfish or altruistic attitudes lasted, nor did it address how looking at pictures compares to spending time immersed in nature. Nevertheless, the authors suggest that some important peace-keeping lessons can be gleaned from their work—especially if you happen to be an urban planner, architect or interior designer.

“One of the implications is that in our cities, in our buildings, and in our workplaces we ought to have more natural elements,” said Ryan. “That’s conducive to a better working atmosphere, and social atmosphere.”