Suffering from Nature-Deficit Disorder?
This term, coined by author and journalist Richard Louv in his seminal work ‘Last Child in the Woods’ back in 2008 describes the damaging and long-lasting effect of alienation from nature, including diminished use of the senses, difficulty regulating emotions and higher rates of mental and physical health conditions – Children and Nature-Deficit Disorder.
His predictions were sadly ‘on the money’ with depression, anxiety and sensory processing disorders all on the rise among children and young people. Here in the UK, about 1 in 5 of all 8 to 25-year-olds are struggling with a probable mental health disorder. Those numbers aren’t just a grim reminder of lost joy, confidence and connection for thousands of young lives but a desperate daily worry for their mums and dads (and aunties and uncles), and a massive financial hit for us all – Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023. The Centre for Mental Health estimates that poor mental health in England cost the UK economy £300 billion in 2022 – that’s around 10% of the UK’s GDP – Gross domestic product of the United Kingdom from 1948 to 2024.
I believe that Nature Deficit Disorder is just as dangerous for us older adults, too, with most healthcare spaces designed to create a sterilising airlock between us and the outside world.
Our connection to the full electromagnetic field of sunlight is the first connection we lose when we spend all day indoors, especially with tinted windows. And according to Professor Glenn Jeffries on the Andrew Huberman, the implications of the blanket coverage of blue-rich artificial lighting – and the loss of those infrared wavelengths in our diet of light is, literally, a killer: he draws parallels with asbestos exposure twenty years ago – Watch Dr. Glen Jeffery: Using Red Light to Improve Your Health & the Harmful Effects of LEDs.
That powerful connection with nature is also clear in our preference for the colours and patterns we evolved to experience in the outside world. One study scrambled images of natural and urban scenes to extract the distinctive hues to test perceived naturalness and preference. Even with no contextual cues, the natural palette came top – Naturalness and aesthetics of colors – Preference for color compositions perceived as natural.
That obviously has implications for the colours we choose. But it’s also relevant for lighting specifications, as the spectral power distribution (or the range of wavelengths) generated by a light source determines the colours you can ‘see’. Lighting engineered for maximum lumens per watt on a tight budget delivers the bare minimum your brain needs to make sense of the world. Perhaps unsurprisingly, full-spectrum lighting (as close as possible to the balance of wavelengths seen in sunlight) not only improves visual comfort but seems to reduce stress levels too – Influence of full-spectrum lighting on blood pressure, heart rate and visual comfort on young adults.
The third connection with nature that is too often ignored is texture – the rough and smooth that helps your brain to judge form and depth as well as critical qualities of the object itself – fitness, taste and temperature. While textiles can pose infection concerns in healthcare settings, simply adding patterns that mimic natural textures can increase perceived spaciousness and preference, and may even alter emotional state and concentration in a learning environment – Effects of Visual Perception of Building Materials on Human Emotional States and Cognitive Functioning in a Physical Learning Environment. Lighting that celebrates those subtle yet essential qualities of a space are likely to enhance a sense of place and emotional connection – The Sensory Impact of Light, Space and Material on Spatial Perception and Emotional Responses using VR.
Nature Deficit Disorder may be on the rise.
But, like every other condition, prevention is better than cure.
True Colours
I’m always ridiculously excited when I see dry brown seeds burst into lush green life, with no more encouragement than a scrap of kitchen roll and tap water – and some daylight of course.
Wishing everyone out there a bright and beautiful day, knowing that, however dull and unpromising the seeds may seem in these dark days, the spring is never far away.