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Scientists agree that nature is good for a person’s mental health. But maybe only for the privileged.
New University of Vermont research found that BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) participants were pretty much missing from a decade of studies that reached the “nature is good for human minds” conclusion. And 95% of those studies happened in Western or Westernized nations.
So nature is good for rich, white people who live in human-centered cultures. That’s not exactly scientific.
“We need all cultures working together to tackle the global emergencies we face,” says Amaya Carrasco, a co-author and UVM graduate student. “That requires understanding what’s universal about the human-nature relationship, and what is culturally specific. Those insights are critical to driving social change, and require research to be more inclusive. We need all hands on deck.”
ALL hands.