What is Nature Deficit Disorder?

Come winter, connecting with the great outdoors becomes harder and harder. Days are short, with the majority of daylight hours spent under the artificial glow of office lights. Autumnal colours are replaced with stark grey skies, and even when a glimpse of natural beauty does appear, most people are so engrossed in their tech devices that they fail to notice.

The burden of modern lifestyles

Dubbed Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD), the concept of ecological deprivation has emerged as a buzzword within the scientific community. While it’s not yet recognised as a medical condition, scientists are gaining attention for their exploration of the effects of NDD on the human condition.

"I guess it's a symptom of current lifestyle," comments Dr Ross Cameron, a professor at Sheffield University’s Department of Landscape. "We're so clued into modern technology and things that we're less observant about the world around us and we're more likely to learn about wildlife ironically from a David Attenborough programme than maybe from a walk in the woods."

Despite its newfound popularity, Nature Deficit Disorder isn’t a new concept. It was coined in 2005 by Richard Louv, and introduced in his controversial book ‘Last Child in the Woods.’ He argues that as children begin to spend more time indoors, they become alienated from nature. As a result, this makes them more susceptible to negative moods, and weakens the attention span.

Is nature a form of medicine?

Dr Cameron explored the notion in detail at a recent lecture at the Royal Horticultural Society, commenting that failure to engage with nature can have a negative impact on mental health.

"As biological beings we are physiologically adapted to be in certain environments - to run, to play, to hunt, to be active basically," he says. "The reality is we tend to have the lifestyle of a brick at the minute. We tend to sit for most of the day - we tend to be very sedentary."

Getting a nature buzz

While he does suggest there’s a link between environmental engagement and mental health, he was quick to stress that overcoming Nature Deficit Disorder doesn’t necessarily mean escaping to the countryside every weekend. He maintains that even the smallest and simplest of connections with nature can "give people a buzz," whether it’s enjoying a cup of tea in the garden, watching a robin at the park or nurturing an indoor plant.

"You don't necessarily need to go to the Rockies or go to see blue whales off the Azores or anything like that,” he says. “It's trying to see how much of these everyday things people notice, recognise and get a positive emotional response from."

When it comes to changing cultural norms, education is key. As though leaders like Dr Cameron and Richard Louv urge people to rekindle relationships with Mother Nature, the Royal Microscopical Society is advocating to inspire the next generation of microscopists. ‘Bringing Science back into the Curriculum’ spotlights its efforts, with a focus on the brilliant Microscope Activity Kits that are now being used by more than 40,000 children across the UK.