Category Archives: Nature-deficit disorder

What can nature offer us, that we can’t find elsewhere?

Looking through my blog posts I realized that within each of them lies an assumption – nature offers us something vital that we can’t get from other places/experiences. Whilst it seems intuitive that nature enriches, and is even essential to our psychological well-being, … Continue reading

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What is Singapore doing?

As promised I did some research and found out about some ways in which Singapore seems to be responding to NDD. This of course is just a preview of noteworthy efforts, and not an exhaustive list. Links are available for … Continue reading

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How to combat NDD – societal level

It’s important to keep in mind that NDD is not merely a problem on a individual level but for society as a whole. We are all affected by environmental degradation, and society is heading down a dangerous path. Thus, it becomes … Continue reading

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How to combat NDD – educational level

I came across an interesting study while researching this post that really caught my attention. The American Institutes for Research looked at the impact of a week-long outdoor education program for at-risk youths. The results were: a 27% increase in … Continue reading

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How to combat NDD – parental level

Here are some ways to prevent/combat NDD as a parent, taken straight from the man himself – Richard Louv. 1) Encourage camping trips with the family. 2) Go for hikes / nature walks (plenty of places to do that here!). … Continue reading

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What happens if we grow up detached from nature?

Why exactly do we need to interact nature? Louv and other researchers have identified several potential consequences of nature-deficit disorder – 1) Missed opportunities to develop creativity, problem-solving skills, emotional and intellectual capacities (that nature-play would provide). 2) Increased incidence … Continue reading

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Is nature-deficit disorder plaguing Singapore youth?

I often hear of the ‘old kampong days’ and how they are missed by the older generations. I got a chance to know a bit more about it when I read some short stories by famous Singaporean writer Alfian Sa’at … Continue reading

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Why aren’t we spending time with nature?

Starting this post off I want to mention a concept put forward by sociobiologist E. O. Wilson – the biophilia hypothesis. This proposes that we humans have a genetically-based predisposition to take a strong interest in and affiliate with plants, animals and … Continue reading

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Nature-deficit disorder – what is it?

When we see the word ‘disorder’ we get instantly alarmed. Now, this disorder is not recognized in the DSM-5 nor by the ICD-10 (the most widely used classification manuals of mental disorders), nor is it intended to be seen as a medical … Continue reading

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