People who feel more connected to nature also tend to hold more egalitarian views, according to new research published in the journal Environment and Behavior. The study provides some preliminary evidence that exposure to nature can reduce social dominance orientation, a measure of person’s acceptance of hierarchy and inequality among groups.

“Urban greening is often taken as a measure to fight climate change. We can see tons of reports quantifying the cost of climate change, and economic benefits of planting trees,” said study author Henry Kin Shing Ng of the University of Hong Kong. “To me, the psychological benefits of exposure to nature are just as important. The natural environment can be an effective, and relatively cheap, measure to enhance social and psychological well-being in people.”

~ Eric W. Dolan

Koko-en Garden, Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan – photo by mmovel, bigstockphoto.com