A worldview in harmony with nature is associated with improved psychological health during the Covid-19 pandemic. This, in summary, is one of the main conclusions of a new study published in the scientific journal Personality and Individual Differences by Elsevier by a group of experts in psychology, psychiatry and educational sciences coordinated by Brian Haas, associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Georgia, USA.
Nature and psychological health during the pandemic
“Thinking about the natural world in an interconnected and harmonious way corresponds to an improvement in psychological health, regardless of where you are“Noted Haas who, in collaboration with Fumiko Hoeft, Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut and Kazufumi Omura of the Faculty of Education, Art and Science at Yamagata University in Japan, evaluated the different approaches of people to nature through a survey conducted in the United States and Japan. The questions, aimed at verifying whether the participants had a vision of the world in harmony with nature or of domination over nature, also included questions on the stress and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on a personal level, at work or on your finances.
The analysis found that although most participants reported a higher level of stress in the pandemic period, those with a world view in harmony with nature were able to manage the condition better, regardless of whether you are a resident of Japan or the United States. The researchers also found that the difference between the two cultures was particularly noticeable by observing those with a world view dominated by nature.
“We found that Americans who believe that humans are, and should be, masters of the natural world did not tend to cope well during the pandemic – Haas noted -. On the contrary, in Japan, a world view dominated by nature was not correlated with a worse ability to adapt “.
According to scholars, this difference could be rooted in the concepts of naive dialectic and predisposition to cognitive dissonance, or acceptance or tolerance of contradiction. “In cultures outside the United States, people tend to feel more comfortable with contradictions and in other cultures it is generally more accepted to have conflicting ideas at the same time – Haas continues -. In the United States, there is no such tolerance. This concept can be applied to nature and the current pandemic. For example, if I believe I dominate nature and then a pandemic occurs, this is a clear natural disaster. So if I believe I am the master of the natural world, then surely I would never allow a natural disaster to occur. These concepts are inconsistent with each other and a consequence of the inconsistency is often the negative mood”.
Although the study provides a picture limited to two countries, experts believe that other cultures would also likely demonstrate a similar association. In any case, taking a moment to appreciate nature has clear advantages, no matter where you live. “In Japanese, it’s called ‘forest bath’ – Professor Hoeft added -. Basically it takes place when you are in nature, usually in the forests, and enjoy being surrounded by trees. People often talk about what it feels like after a ‘forest bath’ and I like to reflect on the meaning of these old phrases and the possibility that they eventually a real impact or a real scientific background. I think this is one of those cases where there is really a connection and some scientific truth”.
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