J.H.,

Fantastic question!

Aside from North America, many studies in the UK have shown the same sorts of trends. One study in particular that I read about not long ago was one conducted by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), where researchers came up with a definition for :connected to nature", came up with a series of questions designed to evaluate connectedness, and had children complete the questionnaires. What they found was that only 21% of children were connected to nature, with girls having a slight advantage over boys (27% connected versus 16%). Interestingly enough, they also found that kids in urban areas were more connected with nature than those in rural areas (the opposite of what one might initially think).

In terms of your question, the term is certainly not yet a clinically diagnosed condition, but I think that a connection with nature can, at the very least, enhance one's personal well-being. However, in terms of sheer cognitive function, there is also evidence suggestive that playing video games can enhance cognitive function in measurable ways, albeit these studies are primarily restricted to older adults and to games specifically designed to increase cognitive functioning (e.g. Anguera et al., 2013. Nature 501, 97–101).

Ultimately, from my perspective, the trends are clear - children are being exposed to nature less and less as we move forward. This is likely affecting children in some way, but I'm not sure as to if it is a direct cause of common medical conditions such as ADHD and obesity; there are many other factors certainly at play. However, here is where I would take the approach that I often pitch at climate change deniers when they try to tell me it's all a hoax: whether or not there is a direct and meaningful effect, the trends are there, so why not take precautions and play it safe (as I pitch to climate change skeptics, why not make the world a better place anyway)?

With respect to education, I think that's relatively easy. Biology classes need to have more classes outside of the lab/classroom and outdoors. At the very least, take the kids out for 20 minutes to collect things that they can then work on in the lab.Grade school science/biology classes are notoriously bad for this, particularly once children hit upper-level elementary school. For me, once I hit grade 5 I never had another science class outside until I decided to study biology in university. I do think there is a bigger problem than education when it comes to this, and it's pointed out in the previously mentioned study from the RSPB - parents. In general, it seems today that nature, from the parents' perspective, is viewed as being highly negative and not something they want their kids engaging with. Nature is seen as dirty and unsafe rather than a beneficial aspect of a child's development. Now, not all parents feel this way, but in general parents would rather keep their children inside away from the "harm" of nature. Furthermore, given the increasingly busy livelihoods of today's parents, many are unable to spend the quality time that they otherwise would be able to with their children outside. So if we are to attempt to tackle this problem, my recommendation would be to educate parents on what they can do to enhance their child(ren)'s connection with nature and inform them of the plethora of benefits that engaging with the natural world can provide!

J.H.,

Fantastic question!

Aside from North America, many studies in the UK have shown the same sorts of trends. One study in particular that I read about not long ago was one conducted by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), where researchers came up with a definition for :connected to nature", came up with a series of questions designed to evaluate connectedness, and had children complete the questionnaires. What they found was that only 21% of children were connected to nature, with girls having a slight advantage over boys (27% connected versus 16%). Interestingly enough, they also found that kids in urban areas were more connected with nature than those in rural areas (the opposite of what one might initially think).

In terms of your question, the term is certainly not yet a clinically diagnosed condition, but I think that a connection with nature can, at the very least, enhance one's personal well-being. However, in terms of sheer cognitive function, there is also evidence suggestive that playing video games can enhance cognitive function in measurable ways, albeit these studies are primarily restricted to older adults and to games specifically designed to increase cognitive functioning (e.g. Anguera et al., 2013. Nature 501, 97–101).

Ultimately, from my perspective, the trends are clear - children are being exposed to nature less and less as we move forward. This is likely affecting children in some way, but I'm not sure as to if it is a direct cause of common medical conditions such as ADHD and obesity; there are many other factors certainly at play. However, here is where I would take the approach that I often pitch at climate change deniers when they try to tell me it's all a hoax: whether or not there is a direct and meaningful effect, the trends are there, so why not take precautions and play it safe (as I pitch to climate change skeptics, why not make the world a better place anyway)?

With respect to education, I think that's relatively easy. Biology classes need to have more classes outside of the lab/classroom and outdoors. At the very least, take the kids out for 20 minutes to collect things that they can then work on in the lab.Grade school science/biology classes are notoriously bad for this, particularly once children hit upper-level elementary school. For me, once I hit grade 5 I never had another science class outside until I decided to study biology in university. I do think there is a bigger problem than education when it comes to this, and it's pointed out in the previously mentioned study from the RSPB - parents. In general, it seems today that nature, from the parents' perspective, is viewed as being highly negative and not something they want their kids engaging with. Nature is seen as dirty and unsafe rather than a beneficial aspect of a child's development. Now, not all parents feel this way, but in general parents would rather keep their children inside away from the "harm" of nature. Furthermore, given the increasingly busy livelihoods of today's parents, many are unable to spend the quality time that they otherwise would be able to with their children outside. So if we are to attempt to tackle this problem, my recommendation would be to educate parents on what they can do to enhance their child(ren)'s connection with nature and inform them of the plethora of benefits that engaging with the natural world can provide!

Jeff. thanks for your answer. I avoided the word "cause" with respect to obesity and ADHD because "cause" is extremely difficult to demonstrate. That's why I used the word "contribute" meaning, part of the cause but not enough on its own to be a cause. One difference between my generation and the children of today is that I walked to school, or rode a bike to school. I was never driven to school, but many (probably most) children in North America now go to school in a car or bus. Do you think this is a contributing factor? Many of my early memories are of walking to school..

Of course! Cause is always a word I try to avoid.

Indeed I still walk to school to this day. I make the 30 min trek to and from the UNB campus each morning/evening (weather permitting, of course). Lots of time to ponder on those walks. I can certainly see that being something that could aid the situation; again something that could be tackled at the parental level, but not necessarily restricted to it.

I often wonder how this negative mindset towards nature will resonate in he future of our climate and ecology (among others) as well. Will the oddities who have a connection with nature and understand its importance be enough to overcome this incessant reliance on fossil fuels? Will the mindsets of these children change over their ontogeny to understand and respect nature later in life? Or will we hit a wall? I'm unfortunately quite pessimistic when it comes to climate change, but nonetheless have wondered how the children of today will come to see nature when it is they who need to look after it.

If the phenomenon is real, we can change our education systems to overcome it only if we "respect the nature".