The psychological Impact of nature on human

Figure 2: The focus on nature impact on human

Much emphasis has been placed on the consequence of human actions such as the loss of biodiversity and fragmentation of the forest. However, beyond the loss of biodiversity is the far-reaching impact of the environment on human as it not only influences an individual’s behavior but also affects an individual’s well-being.

Extinction of experience

As the proportion of built environment increases in Singapore, the availability of natural surroundings decreases. Contact with nature is no longer at one’s doorstep. Places like nature parks would be the closest that Singaporeans can get close to nature. Moreover technological advancement has increased our convenience of staying indoor most of the time. Therefore, people’s direct and personal contact with nature has decreased over the years. And this is known as the extinction of experience. This is the case for Singapore. Just yesterday, I came across an email that was sent by a foreigner to the online forum of Today news. He mentioned that when he visited the parks in Singapore, he was disappointed to see that there were not many people at the park and he also did not see children there. Although it might be because he went on a weekday and most children are still in school, I still think that this is a very question to think about; ‘Are Singaporeans just too busy to enjoy nature?’. This is something that we should reflect on. (click here to see the letter)

Research has shown that outdoor experience is important for the development of pro-environmental attitude. In a study to examine the effectiveness of outdoor residential programs in fostering positive attitudes towards wildlife among 697 5th and 6th graders in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The study has found that students had significantly more positive attitudes toward wildlife after residential programs than they did after an in-class wildlife program. Moreover, the effect was found to be retained at least 3 months after the program. Having opportunities to interact with the environment would encourage the development of environmental attitude.

On the other hand, another study has also found that outdoor experience also helps in developing environmentally responsible behaviors. This was due to the reported increase in feelings of connection with the natural world as the students learnt about how ecosystems function and strategies that contribute to their maintenance. The on-site outdoor program also stimulated greater interest in future participation of experiences in natural areas as well as stimulating greater interest in future low-impact recreation experiences in natural areas.

So therefore, we can see that experience helps in the development of both pro-environmental attitudes and behavior.

Theory of planned behavior 

Theory of planned behavior can help to provide a framework linking attitudes and behaviors. The theory states that the intention of behavior is the best predictor for actual behavior. Intention of behavior includes the construct of attitudes. Therefore, together with subjective norms and perceived control, these constructs influence behavior. As mentioned previously, outdoor experience helps in the development of pro-environmental attitudes, therefore experience can be seen as an antecedent of pro-environmental attitudes. Applying it to the theory of planned behavior model, experience would increase the intention of behavior therefore, this would increase the likelihood of pro-environmental behavior.

 Figure 3: Theory of Planned Behavior