"Research by environmental psychologists has confirmed that the most attractive natural environments contain features that are evolutionarily beneficial for the survival of early humans, such as running water and open meadows surrounded by woods. People who were drawn to the 'right' places did better than those who were not, and over time, their genes were favored over those who spent too much time in sparser, more barren landscapes."
"Places that lack these inviting psychological features can be boring to us, and they may even set off our 'creep detectors.' British geographer Jay Appleton described two physical qualities that determine whether a place is attractive or frightening to us: Prospect and refuge. Refuge means having a secure, protected place to hide where one can be sheltered from danger, while prospect provides visibility and awareness of surroundings."
Environmental spaces possess both physical and psychological dimensions that influence human attraction and comfort. Evolutionary psychology reveals that preferred natural environments contain features beneficial to early human survival, such as water sources and open meadows bordered by forests. Beyond physical characteristics, abstract psychological features significantly shaped ancestral survival and continue to influence modern preferences. Environments lacking inviting psychological qualities trigger discomfort or fear responses. British geographer Jay Appleton identified two critical psychological qualities determining environmental attractiveness: prospect, which provides visibility and awareness, and refuge, which offers secure, protected shelter from danger. Childhood memories of meaningful places typically reflect these evolutionarily relevant psychological features.
#environmental-psychology #prospect-and-refuge #evolutionary-preferences #childhood-spaces #place-attachment
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]