I hate when journalists confuse correlation with causation. It's one of the most basic things you have to know to be be capable of writing about science and the fact that they failed the first step tells me they shouldn't be journalists.
Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing
21–30 of 210 posts
Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing
#22Not surprising. As someone who grew up in rural and suburban environments, big cities feel intensely depressing. I go there and nothing I look at makes me feel happy. I'm sure people who grew up there feel differently and see things I don't see, but for me Manhattan feels as dead as the surface of Mars.
Manhattan has Central Park, which is a forest. Compare vs the suburban sprawl of modern design where it's an ocean of tract housing with stunted little fresh-planted trees and I'd say the reverse is generally true. I can see the argument for rural living, but not for modern suburbia.
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Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing
#23Not surprising. As someone who grew up in rural and suburban environments, big cities feel intensely depressing. I go there and nothing I look at makes me feel happy. I'm sure people who grew up there feel differently and see things I don't see, but for me Manhattan feels as dead as the surface of Mars.
Manhattan has Central Park, which is a forest. Compare vs the suburban sprawl of modern design where it's an ocean of tract housing with stunted little fresh-planted trees and I'd say the reverse is generally true. I can see the argument for rural living, but not for modern suburbia.
Manhattan feels like really one of the best cases for trees outside of rural areas. A large percentage of the residential neighborhoods are in walking distance of a big forest... even other boroughs of NYC are mostly worse for that. Some other cities have better weekend access to forests, e.g. in L.A. you can drive to the mountains, but there aren't many with better large forests actually in the city. Maybe DC with Rock Creek Park.
Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing
#24"Exposure to grass was, surprisingly, associated with higher odds of psychological distress." Anyone who has had to maintain a lawn will likely find this unsurprising.
Not if you just mow it and let whatever grows grow.
Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing
#25Not surprising. As someone who grew up in rural and suburban environments, big cities feel intensely depressing. I go there and nothing I look at makes me feel happy. I'm sure people who grew up there feel differently and see things I don't see, but for me Manhattan feels as dead as the surface of Mars.
I grew up in the city. Urban and rural is great but suburban is depressing. Socially isolating an fake nature with fewer trees in particular. Worst of both worlds.
Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing
#26Not surprising. As someone who grew up in rural and suburban environments, big cities feel intensely depressing. I go there and nothing I look at makes me feel happy. I'm sure people who grew up there feel differently and see things I don't see, but for me Manhattan feels as dead as the surface of Mars.
To each their own. There are those of us that would die of boredom and depression in a rural or suburban environment. To us the city is where is at, especially a place like NYC.
Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing
#27Unsurprising result. I was so sad (figuratively speaking) when we moved from an older office - but one which had trees all around and even running water - to a very modern, but boring open floor glass paned antfarm-like building. After some time I got literally depressed. Walking around the concreted block did nothing for me anymore. No trees, no water, no birds, no squirrels. Just cars and a lot of heat in the summe…
yeah totally. I will take jobs that pay less but have an interesting office location, usually in a less developed outer area of the city where vegetation and lots of walking space exist
Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Manhattan has Central Park, which is a forest. Compare vs the suburban sprawl of modern design where it's an ocean of tract housing with stunted little fresh-planted trees and I'd say the reverse is generally true. I can see the argument for rural living, but not for modern suburbia.
Manhattan feels like really one of the best cases for trees outside of rural areas. A large percentage of the residential neighborhoods are in walking distance of a big forest... even other boroughs of NYC are mostly worse for that. Some other cities have better weekend access to forests, e.g. in L.A. you can drive to the mountains, but there aren't many with better large forests actually in the city. Maybe DC with R…
DC and the surrounding metro area both have a surprising amount of trees. I work in Tyson's Corner, not far from DC at all, and the view from the office is trees as far as the eyes can see with occasional outcroppings of towers. Rock Creek Park basically bisects the entire city as well.
Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing
#29"Exposure to grass was, surprisingly, associated with higher odds of psychological distress." Anyone who has had to maintain a lawn will likely find this unsurprising.
If you follow with some of the "ancestral genetic memory" theories, this makes sense. Our species came about in a grassland punctuated by rocky outcroppings and trees. Trees and rocks often meant safety from the predators below. Open grass meant exposure on all sides. We don't really think of ourselves this way anymore, but not that long ago, humans sat more in the center of the food chain that we currently do.
Re: Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing
#30Unsurprising result. I was so sad (figuratively speaking) when we moved from an older office - but one which had trees all around and even running water - to a very modern, but boring open floor glass paned antfarm-like building. After some time I got literally depressed. Walking around the concreted block did nothing for me anymore. No trees, no water, no birds, no squirrels. Just cars and a lot of heat in the summe…
People need high quality cages with open floors... Not nature, take paradise put up a parking lot... It's more profitable.