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Do you want to play a role in fighting climate change? Why not give participatory science a try? In addition to getting actively involved in something that could help protect the planet, this type of project also comes with the added benefit of making us happier, according to a study out of the UK.
Do you want to play a role in fighting climate change? Why not give participatory science a try? In addition to getting actively involved in something that could help protect the planet, this type of project also comes with the added benefit of making us happier, according to a study out of the UK.
Measuring the chemical content of ocean waters while surfing, counting birds that alight on a tree or ground around us, deciphering food packaging labels... In recent years, citizen science projects focusing on the environment have become numerous. Often carried out with a leisure aspect, these types of experiences are generally lauded by participants. And now there's even more icing on the cake to them it seems: in addition to getting involved in a meaningful mission, participating in such projects may make us happier.
At least that's what research recently published in the journal People and Nature suggests. Led by researchers at the University of Derby and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Wallingford, England, the research is based on a week-long experiment involving 500 people. The volunteers were randomly assigned to six separate groups. Some participated in experiments (for at least 10 minutes and at least five times over the course of a week) involving either a citizen science project, an observational "nature-noticing" activity, or both.
Increased sense of well-being and purpose
At the end of the study, the researchers noted significant positive effects in the participants, such as an increased sense of well-being, a stronger sense of connectedness to nature, and personal satisfaction in having contributed to a change. However, the study notes some differences between members of each group. For example, those who participated only in a citizen science activity had lower scores on their feeling of connectedness to nature and sense of well-being, but felt more strongly that they had "made a difference.
While all volunteers mentioned an increased sense of being connected to nature, it was those who participated in both types of activities (nature observation and citizen science) for whom the experience seemed to be most beneficial. "Nature-based citizen science is more than just a way to gather environmental data: it benefits well-being and nature connectedness of participants, and (when in combination with noticing nature activities) pro-nature conservation behaviors," the study authors concluded.
This research adds to the scientific literature on the beneficial effects that contact with nature can have on our mental health. But, paradoxically, city dwellers are moving further and further away from nature, which could further disrupt the human-nature relationship. According to a recent study, we are living at an increasingly greater distance from green spaces. On a global level, the geographical distance between the homes of city dwellers and green spaces is 9.7 km on average. All the more reason to answer the call of the wild when you leave your home!
