Science says Nature is good for you

[Mike OReilly]

That's the wonder of our evolutionary adaption. Our big brains, along with our ability to operate like termites, has allowed us to maximize our ecosystem, and as you say, to adapt it to our needs.

Many species do similar things, but nothing on the scale of Homo sapiens. Of course, this ability of ours may be the cause of our own demise. As our brains outstrip our evolutionary needs, such as the need for wilderness and nature, we may be thinking our way to extinction.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Being outdoors, especially in contemporary times, has a great many benefits, not only physically but also mentally. Given all of the complexities of life and the accompanying stresses, it is especially helpful to be outdoors and away from everything, and reduce the stress.

Some one hundred and fifty years ago, Henry David Thoreau noted the benefits of being in nature. He said " Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of Mankind." It should be remembered that Mr. Thoreau was not opposed to civilization and indeed, he recognized the value of it. He was however advocating for a balance in life, which is what the outdoors helps to provide.

In addition to his being a hiker, preservationist, and outdoors-man, he was also a skilled canoeist. I myself have always found the waters to be quite soothing. The outdoors are definitely beneficial for us.

[salfarina]

I’ve been actively conducting my own study over the past 70 plus years, and thus far fully agree with the above mentioned research article. However, I confess that I’m postponing the conclusion until the very last possible moment.

[desodave]

It's sort of "proving" the obvious as others have said. But then the members of this forum are hardly a representative sample of the population imo. My stress levels go down as soon as I hit the marina dock ( walking, that is, not with the boat) and disappear as soon as we reach open water.

[ArmyDaveNY]

I think I am going into the study business, and I will expand upon this study. Does the cruising lifestyle reduce stress? I figure a five million dollar grant and ten years should be sufficient to find out. I just want to make sure that I am not in the control group!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

I think I am going into the study business, and I will expand upon this study. Does the cruising lifestyle reduce stress? I figure a five million dollar grant and ten years should be sufficient to find out. I just want to make sure that I am not in the control group!

I'm sure you can get a doctorate in Cruisology .

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I'm sure you can get a doctorate in Cruisology .

LOL. In my case the PhD would represent piled higher and deeper!

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Exile

Figured it was just a beer shortage.

https://youtu.be/UbONgxEI9Io

[Mike OReilly]

I grew up spending a lot of time in a canoe. My greatest joys, up until I discovered sailing, happened with a paddle in hand. I would disappear into the Canadian wilderness, sometimes for over a month, with nothing to do but explore, enjoy and survive. It was a simple and nonstressful way to live.

Cruising on a smallish sailboat offers a similar life. It's a bit more complicated than travel in a canoe or kayak, but it has the advantage of being able to carry endless amounts of beer and wine, without the need for portaging.

It is in those spaces where all you have is your skill, preparation, and luck to rely on -- these are the spaces that give me the greatest joy.

[hpeer]

Solistalgia

Abstract

Objective: Solastalgia is a new concept developed to give greater meaning and clarity to environmentally induced distress. As opposed to nostalgia--the melancholia or homesickness experienced by individuals when separated from a loved home--solastalgia is the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting on people while they are directly connected to their home environment. The paper will focus on two contexts where collaborative research teams have found solastalgia to be evident: the experiences of persistent drought in rural NSW and the impact of large-scale open-cut coal mining on individuals in the Upper Hunter Valley of NSW. In both cases, people exposed to environmental change experienced negative affect that is exacerbated by a sense of powerlessness or lack of control over the unfolding change process.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18027145/

[hpeer]

E O Wilson has come up with the idea of “Half Earth”, that humans should set aside 1/2 of everything and leave it alone. Makes a lot os sense to me, 1/2 of everything should be enough for anything.

https://www.half-earthproject.org/

With science at its core and our transcendent moral obligation to the rest of life at its heart, the Half-Earth Project® is working to conserve half the land and sea to safeguard the bulk of biodiversity, including ourselves.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by hpeer

E O Wilson has come up with the idea of “Half Earth”, that humans should set aside 1/2 of everything and leave it alone. Makes a lot os sense to me, 1/2 of everything should be enough for anything.

https://www.half-earthproject.org/

It's a beautiful and sensible idea, but that would require us to embrace the notion of 'enough.' There is no such concept, at least not in the consumer-capitalist world most of us live in.

[hpeer]

Indeed, Mike.

[onestepcsy37]

Author Edward Abbey said much the same thing, with an added thought -

just knowing there is a natural and wild place to go to, even if we never get there, can raise your spirits.

[Mike OReilly]

If nature is so good for our health, and it is so obvious (at least to us folks), then why do so many people avoid getting out there? Especially these days, it seems more people are staring at their screens than stepping outside the door.