Interactive field guide
Biophilia: our bond with living systems
Explore nature cues, the history of the hypothesis, and a simple sit spot practice.
A field guide · E. O. Wilson, 1984
A closer look at our bond with living systems
The biophilia hypothesis asks whether people carry a deep tendency to notice and seek connection with nature. Explore a few possible cues, then try a minute of noticing for yourself.
01 · The proposition
Nature gives the nervous system something to notice.
Choose a cue to explore the possible survival story beneath an ordinary moment in nature.
Choose a cue. This is a way to notice what an environment may offer; landscapes affect people in different ways.
02 · The long view
A hypothesis about the past, explored in the present.
Deep time
Living with the landscape
For most of human history, reading animals, plants, weather, and terrain was part of staying alive.
1984
Wilson names the pattern
In Biophilia, E. O. Wilson gives a name to the proposed human affinity for living systems.
Today
Research asks how it works
Attention restoration and stress-reduction research explore how natural settings may support recovery, without making nature a universal cure.
03 · Try it yourself
A sit spot is a small experiment in attention.
Choose one familiar place and sit for a minute. Let the scene arrive without asking it to entertain you. The practice is to notice whether low-demand contact with living things changes the quality of your attention.
Ready when you are.