Ming Kuo, a researcher in psychology, set out to understand how animal zoo enclosures affect animal health. Her early research showed that poorly designed enclosures design negatively impacted animal physical health, mental wellbeing and lifespan. More precisely, she saw patterns in the data that described a direct relationship between greenery and wellbeing. Intrigued by these findings, but also slightly skeptical, she then focused her research on the effects of nature on people in cities.
Listen to Ming Kuo explain why she changed course in her research and her main finding about the relationship between nature and people.
Here is one of the key quotes from the interview.
“… organisms, when housed in unfit habitats, undergo social, psychological and physical breakdown. And we are seeing precisely that in people. So when you give them a bit more (access to nature), you see better social functioning. You see better psychological functioning and better physical health.”
The full interview is available on the NPR website, “Our Better Nature” on Hidden Brain.