> Meanwhile, I’ve never experienced these symptoms while living in an old, drafty brick building (repurposed office building); or while living in a Victorian-era farmhouse; or while staying in a low-rent motel; or while camping under the stars.
But what about a cabin in the woods? That's the pressing question.
> My conclusion is that “cabin fever” is a feeling you get when your living space is not well-ventilated.
That makes too much sense. An old moldy cabin in the woods (and a contaminated water supply, as in the film) would be toxic no doubt. Frequent ventilation is recommended.
> If the problem is stale air, then just “going outside” is only a temporary fix, because the air will usually be just as stuffy when you return.
But at least you will notice the difference, instead of getting used to it.
> On the other hand, you can be fine while inside indefinitely, if you open a window and then sit right beside it, where the outside air can reach you.
Unless the outside air is worse. I tried filling my place up with plants, but don't have a green thumb, and just invited pests and stale soil.
> But this will only work if there’s enough wind to push the air into the house a small bit;
fans. ACs. Temperature differences. Doing busywork around the place, cooking, especially in a crowd.
> it seemingly has no effect—possibly for purely-psychological reasons?—if the air outside is humid, as it is in e.g. Hong Kong. (But going outside in humid places still works for temporary relief. Weird.)
Walking is a first step towards sport, good for circulation and for memory work.
> And that last realization leads me to the secondary conclusion that the (or my, at least) human physiology is responding mainly to aerosolized-moisture-content in the air (in some way that’s distinct from responding to the evaporated humidity) as a proxy metric for the other, harder-to-sense air-quality measures.
Ahaha, what? OK Doc! I mean, sure, maybe, but not mainly. Very inappropriate wording. Shallow breathing might be an affect of perceivably bad air, in general.
> So, in theory, you might be able to reduce the qualitative of “cabin fever” just by buying a dehumidifier.
Do you really think it's an involuntary reaction by the autonomous nervous system? That's too huge a claim--admitting that is a better reason not to recommend buying one, unless the humidity levels are extreme. Nevermind that ionizers, dehumidifiers, and other climate controlls are a hole category of accessories.
But sure, air quality is important. I got travel sick on long car rides frequently, as a child, attributed to the locomotion. In planes, with rather dry air, it was the pressure drop. I just don't think a small wonder tree dangling from the back mirror would have helped ;)