Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More
People feel better when they are in nature. There’s something about putting your hands in garden dirt, taking a walk in the forest, or camping that makes people feel more at peace, more balanced, less depressed, and happier. We need nature.
Today on the podcast, we talk about what is actually going on in our bodies that make us feel good when we’re in nature. We talk about why we need nature, and why it’s so important to look up from our screens, to leave our high rises, and be under the sky, under the trees.
We also talk about how we are losing nature – how the outdoors is radically different than what our ancestors experienced — even what our grandparents experienced. There’s a word for this – environmental generational amnesia – and it refers to the fact that we don’t even know how much we’ve lost.
Our guest today is Dr. Peter Kahn. Peter is a professor in the Department of Psychology and the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington. He also directs the Human Interaction with Nature and Technological Systems Laboratory.
For patrons of this podcast, check out the bonus material at Patreon. You’ll find a personal essay Peter wrote about some of his wild experiences of youth – in nature! If you are not a patron and want to become one, you can join at Patreon.com/sparkdialog. Thank you all for your support!
Some of the background music you heard are clips from:
preamble by airtone (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/61579
Little Candle by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2016 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/55222 Ft: Admiral Bob
Route 17 by djolliej (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/djolliej/35850
Between Worlds (Instrumental) by Aussens@iter (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/tobias_weber/56664 Ft: (Smiling Cynic)