It is a deep human intuition that viewing nature and being in nature is good for the mind and the body. -E. O. Wilson

The news is dire today. The media reports predict that the pandemic will last for at least 18 months with many spikes in infections and many more deaths. Government officials now acting with decisiveness have canceled public performances; closed malls, parks, retail stores, and restaurants; shut down all sporting events; and limited air travel. Faith leaders have authorized the closure of churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues, canceling worship services and gatherings of any kind. Healthcare providers and first responders strive mightily to prepare for what's to come, knowing they are in short supply of protective gear for themselves and respirators for those stricken with the virus. These are indeed dire days. Millions of people are now heeding orders to shelter in place. This means limited access to pharmacies and grocery stores and no access to retail stores. For many there will be very little if any access to nature especially for those living in cities.

Our way of life now is starkly different than ever before. We bravely press on honoring our responsibilities to patients, families, friends, colleagues, and our communities. We pray, listen to favorite music, share our concerns with trusted friends, read inspirational literature, binge watch movies, play video games, and so on. But for many, the soul-satisfying experience of being immersed in nature is not possible. In this dilemma, we search for another path, another option. The third option here is viewing natural history documentaries. One might question whether this could suffice. Could it ever take the place of being immersed in nature, releasing tension and fear, evoking a sense of peace and well-being that the real experience affords us?

The answer is yes according to an extensive research project conducted by University of Berkeley, California, and BBC Worldwide Global Insight Team, brought to our attention by Josh Jones in his fascinating October essay for Open Culture, "Watching Nature Documentaries Can Produce 'Real Happiness.'"1

"EXPLORING THE EMOTIONAL STATE OF HAPPINESS: A STUDY INTO THE EFFECTS OF WATCHING NATURAL HISTORY TELEVISION."

ABSTRACT

BBC Earth commissioned a multicountry, online quantitative study to examine the impact of watching natural history content on viewers' emotions. This was conducted in partnership with an international panel company, with data collected and weighted to be nationally representative in each country. (There were 7500 subjects from 5 different countries: Australia, India, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.) Respondents viewed 1 of 5 clips: 2 from Planet Earth II, 1 from a popular drama, 1 montage of news coverage, and 1 control video. The hypothesis was that watching content from Planet Earth II could improve the sensation of positive emotions and reduce the sensation of negative emotions. The study found a range of significant results evidencing not only that watching content from Planet Earth II inspired significant increase in feelings of awe, contentedness, joy, amusement, and curiosity, but also that it acted to reduce feelings of tiredness, anger, and stress. In the majority of cases, changes in emotions were caused by the type of content viewed and significantly different from the control group. Our findings therefore support the conclusion that viewing Planet Earth II inspires positive changes in emotions that are distinct to the natural history genre.2

(Readers are encouraged to read the entire document.)

So as we shelter in place, would not it be prudent to take the findings of this research team to heart, view these works of art, the natural history documentaries? The Open Culture website provides the Planet Earth II episodes, an extensive number of nature documentaries and 50 hours of nature soundscapes to view for free. Netflix offers the Planet Earth II documentaries. If you find the viewing experience worthwhile, why not consider recommending it to your patients, families, friends, and colleagues? It's an ideal nurse script, prescribing the experience of an art form to enhance healing and health. And for us, research on the works and legacy of E. O. Wilson becomes essential. "Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive, and even spiritual satisfaction."

"But can viewing films and photographs of nature produce in us the feelings of awe and wonder that poets, artists, and philosophers have described feeling in actual nature for centuries?"1 The challenge is on to find out for ourselves. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the simple act of watching natural history documentaries helped to allay our anxiety and fear in the time of COVID-19 pandemic?

References