journal article Mar 01, 2016

Extinction of experience: the loss of human–nature interactions

Abstract
Increasingly, people are becoming less likely to have direct contact with nature (natural environments and their associated wildlife) in their everyday lives. Over 20 years ago, Robert M Pyle termed this ongoing alienation the “extinction of experience”, but the phenomenon has continued to receive surprisingly limited attention. Here, we present current understanding of the extinction of experience, with particular emphasis on its causes and consequences, and suggest future research directions. Our review illustrates that the loss of interaction with nature not only diminishes a wide range of benefits relating to health and well‐being, but also discourages positive emotions, attitudes, and behavior with regard to the environment, implying a cycle of disaffection toward nature. Such serious implications highlight the importance of reconnecting people with nature, as well as focusing research and public policy on addressing and improving awareness of the extinction of experience.
Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References
50
[4]
The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: a meta-analysis

Colin A. Capaldi, Raelyne L. Dopko, John M. Zelenski

Frontiers in Psychology 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00976
[11]
England Marketing.2009.Report to Natural England on childhood and nature: a survey on changing relationships with nature across generations.Cambridgeshire UK:England Marketing.
[22]
Kellert SR (2002)
[25]
Opportunity or Orientation? Who Uses Urban Parks and Why

Brenda B. Lin, Richard A. Fuller, Robert Bush et al.

PLoS ONE 10.1371/journal.pone.0087422
[28]
The connectedness to nature scale: A measure of individuals’ feeling in community with nature

F.Stephan Mayer, Cynthia McPherson Frantz

Journal of Environmental Psychology 10.1016/j.jenvp.2004.10.001
[31]
Nabhan GP (1993)
[33]
The Nature Relatedness Scale

Elizabeth K. Nisbet, John M. Zelenski, Steven A. Murphy

Environment and Behavior 10.1177/0013916508318748
[37]
Pyle RM (1993)
[49]
Wilson EO (1993)
Cited By
1,404
Sustainability
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
Heliyon
Landscape and Urban Planning
Environmental and Sustainability In...
Frontiers in Psychology
Sustainability
Metrics
1,404
Citations
50
References
Details
Published
Mar 01, 2016
Vol/Issue
14(2)
Pages
94-101
License
View
Funding
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Award: 15J04422
Natural Environment Research Council Award: NE/J015237/1
Cite This Article
Masashi Soga, Kevin J Gaston (2016). Extinction of experience: the loss of human–nature interactions. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 14(2), 94-101. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1225
Related

You May Also Like

Ecosystem services in decision making: time to deliver

Gretchen C Daily, Stephen Polasky · 2009

1,517 citations

Response diversity, ecosystem change, and resilience

Thomas Elmqvist, Carl Folke · 2003

1,473 citations

Novel climates, no-analog communities, and ecological surprises

John W. Williams, Stephen T. Jackson · 2007

1,393 citations