Is it possible that not spending enough time outside shortens your lifespan? According to author and journalist, Richard Louv, yes. In 2005, he coined the term for his book, Last Child in the Woods in which he argued that modern children spend so much time indoors that the lack of nature results in a wide variety of behavior problems and is partially responsible for their decreasing lifespan.
Even if you aren’t a person that enjoys the outdoors, ponder the question for a moment. Can being inside all the time shorten your lifespan? I know as we traveled around the world a few days in a vibrant and chaotic major city always made us yearn for someplace more peaceful and quiet. Was it our brains reacting to nature or just a personal preference?
There’s plenty of research out there to suggest that children benefit developmentally from outdoor learning experiences and it’s not a far stretch to connect being outdoors with lower risk for childhood obesity and possibly ADD- the squirrels just don’t run away that fast. Another author, Edward Wilson coined the term, biophilia hypothesis, or the instinctive bond humans have with nature. He states that we are the product of biological evolution, that our preferences are the product of evolution- we have plants in our home because they help us survive (we can eat them).
I have friends that declare themselves indoor people and I think they’d be happy to be afflicted with nature deficit disorder. Their declaration never bothered me; I just assumed nature was a personal preference. Sure, I feel a personal connection to nature, but that doesn’t mean you have to have one, or so I thought until I heard about these theories.
Is there such thing as nature deficit disorder? Is the biophilia hypothesis true, or even provable? Louv’s term has never been accepted by medical manuals, and yet it makes sense to me. I believe that my connection to nature helps me lead a healthier and more active life. Then again, I am the product of two outdoor nuts whose idea of vacation involved camping in the woods. Is my connection more than just a product of my environment though? Is it a deeper human connection to the Earth? I’m not so sure.
What are your thoughts? You, our readers, are an incredibly diverse bunch of people from all over the world, so let me ask you- do you believe there is such a thing as nature deficit disorder? What about biophilia hypothesis? Do you feel a connection to nature? Do you seek out green space?
inka says
Even without the fancy pseudo scientific name, I believe that spending your life indoors, getting square eyes from staring at any kind of screens and square thumbs from texting as well as enlarged ears from all the plugs you plug in, will shorten your life span. No fesh air, no exercise, no relaxation from the sight of woods, mountains, fresh flowers and the ocean…you may as well die sooner rather than later.
Jillian says
Inka, thanks for your input! I too think nature is good for the body and soul, but do you think that there’s a physical disorder caused by lack of nature or is it just psychological?
Jan Ross says
My first reaction is that, if this is a disorder, I probably have it! I enjoy nature in a isn’t-that-nice-can-we-go-shopping-now kind of way. But then I think about the kids I know who never play outside until the street lights come on like my generation did but are too busy messing with their electronic gadgets. And all the dozens and dozens of kids at my school when I was teaching who were on meds for ADHD and I wonder…
Jillian says
Jan, thanks for chiming in as an indoor person. The disorder idea (can it be called a theory?) connects the decrease in outdoors time to everything from behavior problems like ADD (or ADHD) to potentially a shortened lifespan. I’m not sure really how to get my head around it. I definitely think it’s beneficial to spend time outside, but more from a balanced life perspective – I think adults and kids need to strike a balance between work and play, indoors/outdoors, etc… Does spending time outside recharge me more than taking an afternoon to go shopping recharges you? I’m disinclined to think so, to me it’s the “down” time not necessarily the “nature” time that recharges a person.
Jan Ross says
BTW, I stumbled and tweeted this. Should generate some interesting discussions…
Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista says
Well I don’t know if it is a syndrome but I do believe everyone needs to get outside especially our children! The fearmongers have made it so a lot of parents don’t let their kids outside to play, get dirty, and see the snails, worms and birds! I used to turn the TV off and shoo my kids outside. This,IMO, is one of the greatest failings of this generation.
Jillian says
Thanks for chiming in Debbie! I tell everyone that if we have kids I’m going to make them eat dirt- haha- not literally, but I do think being outside playing in the grass all the time kept me healthy!
Scott - Quirky Travel Guy says
Inka is right on! Spending too much time indoors isn’t good for anybody. Those terms might just be fancy ways to describe cabin fever, but I think the condition does exist.
Jillian says
I agree that cabin fever exists, but is it a physical need or just a psychological need?
Jade says
I have to be outside… even at TBEX I was struggling to stay in the conference center the whole time. I just think sunshine is good for the soul!
Jillian says
It looks like you made good use of your time outdoors, just read your post on the suspension bridge! How cool!
The Dropout says
I’ve lived in Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore where children grow up indoors. The schools in HCMC barely have any play area. Children play inside, either bouncing off the walls of their homes, or sitting at computers. Or, in Singpaore, they go to a mall.
I do not want my daughter to grow up like this. We are trying to work out where we can live that will give us the space I think is important, the excitement and energy that we both enjoy and a cost of living that makes it affordable. It’s not an easy task.
Jillian says
I was really surprised at the lack of green space in the cities of Asia. We weren’t in Singapore, but I remember being in HCMC- there were tons of high school aged kids participating in gym class in a park near out hotel. The park was so densely populated with people it felt like there was no room to breath- I can’t remember seeing anything like that before in my life. I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up without any green space. It’s not even that crowded in the parks of NYC.
It’s certainly not an easy task to find balance in Asia. There’s such rapid expansion it’s hard to tell if its a lack of urban planning or if it’s that green space isn’t valued.
The Travel Chica says
I think it depends on the person. I enjoy the city life, but I have to get my nature fix. Really nice city parks like Bosques de Palermo in Buenos Aires can give me my fix for a while, but then I need the real thing. One of the reasons I took my yearlong travel sabbatical is to explore a lot of the diverse natural areas in Central and South America.
Jillian says
I try to find the balance as well, but although I love the city, I know that if I had to choose it would be nature over the city.
Jeremy Branham says
Yep, you struck a nerve with that one – I COMPLETELY agree! Quite honestly, it pisses me off to see lazy kids sitting on their butts all day watching TV and playing video games. When I was a kid, I’d eat go back outside, come inside for dinner, and then go back outside until it was dark. People need to get their kids outside and from my own experience, it does something to the mind and spirit. It’s refreshing and people need to do more of it!
Jillian says
I hear you! I loved playing outside as a kid. A whole group of us on my street would play in a big grassy area- I always knew it was time to go home because my mom would call my friend’s mom who lived adjacent to the area, to call me home for dinner. It was a great system!
Sophie says
Well, I live in Norway and here, almost everyone is outdoors all the time, especially during summer. My youngest daughter went to a nature-nursery school from age 3 – 6, where the kids were out playing in the forest all day every second week, even in subzero temperatures, with an old-fashioned outhouse loo and everything. They all loved it, and only wished it could be every week. I’m thinking being outdoors is a basic human need – thus physiological as well as psychological.
Jillian says
That sounds like a fun school! Why ages 3-6 only?