We're in an 'Extinction of Experience' and Have Lost 60% of Our Connection to Nature-Here's How a Vacation Can Fix It

"Close your eyes and picture taking off your shoes and socks on a warm, spring day. As you stretch your toes in the cool grass, the sun kisses your cheek, the scent of blooming flowers is in the air, and you can hear the sounds of birdsong. It's the perfect day outdoors, and according to a new study, you probably haven't had one in a very long time."

"Using a computer simulation program, he created a world populated by families and tracked how their relationship with nature changed as cities grew and green spaces disappeared. Think of it as a scientific version of The Sims that also projects our bond with nature through the year 2125. (You can check it out in action here.)"

"As cities have expanded over the past 200 years, Richardson found that humanity's connection with nature has fallen sharply. He validated his findings by using the data-mining tool Google Books Ngram Viewer, to track the use of 28 common nature-related words used in books since the 1800s-think words like "river," "trees," and "blossom." The data showed a notable decline in usage over time."

""These words reflect what people noticed, valued, and wrote about," Richardson wrote in his findings. "And when their use is plotted over time, a clear decline of around 60 percent is revealed. Particularly from 1850, a time when industrialization and urbanization grew rapidly.""

A computer simulation modeled families' relationships with nature from 1800 through projected years to 2125, showing a sharp decline as cities expanded and green spaces disappeared. Analysis of language in books using Google Books Ngram tracked 28 common nature-related words and found a marked reduction in their usage, especially after 1850 during rapid industrialization and urbanization. The combined data indicate an ongoing loss of everyday contact with nature and a potential "extinction of experience" for future generations. Nature connectedness is framed as a core driver of the environmental crisis and its decline risks weakening conservation motivations.

Read at Travel + Leisure