Herbalists use plants for medicinal purposes so they are familiar with the fact that nature heals. However, the beneficial effects that exposure to the natural world has on mental and physical health is becoming more widely acknowledged. The increasing amount of evidence on the human need for nature makes it important to understand the drivers behind nature experiences. To add to this growing body of research a 2022 study of twins has revealed that a love of nature appears to be, at least in part, genetic. According to a large-scale study of twins in the United Kingdom, published this month in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, a person’s appreciation of nature, and their tendency to visit natural spaces, are genetic characteristics.
Researchers surveyed 1153 pairs of twins on the TwinsUK registry about how they experience nature, asking them to rate their familiarity with and desire to be in nature, and how frequently they visit natural spaces such as public parks and private gardens. They found that identical twins, who share almost 100% of their genes, were more similar to each other in their orientation towards nature and how frequently they visited nature compared to fraternal twins, who share around 50% of their genetic material. The results help to explain why some people have a stronger desire than others to be in nature.
While the results suggest there is a genetic influence over how people experience nature, environmental factors explained more than half of the differences between individuals. People living in urban environments tended to have less nature experiences, due to things such as limited access to gardens, highlighting the importance of availability in shaping nature-seeking behaviours. These inherited characteristics also declined with age, suggesting that genetics may become less influential as people age and experience a unique set of environmental conditions. This study provides the first evidence for a genetic component to both a predisposition towards nature and a tendency to visit natural spaces. The results also provide evidence of a complex interaction between urbanisation and the environmental effects in shaping a person’s nature experience. It points to the need for diverse urban planning to provide access to natural spaces and the benefits they offer for all.
Reference
People’s desire to be in nature and how they experience it are partially heritable (plos.org)
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