Do We Have An Innate Love Of Nature?

Have you ever wondered why so many people have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by turning to the great outdoors — hiking, biking, gardening, fishing, etc.? To be sure, it’s partly a matter of common sense: Being out in the open air, away from other people, is safer during a pandemic. But could it also be a matter of innate human behavior? Could it be that we are instinctively drawn to nature, or are at least somehow instinctively more at ease when surrounded by it?

I think so, and I think that fits neatly into what is known as the “biophilia hypothesis.” To start at the beginning, the word...