How much you enjoy spending time in nature appears — at least in part — to be something you inherit from your parents’ genes, a study of twins has revealed.
Researchers from the National University of Singapore and the University of Queensland conducted a survey of 1,153 pairs of adult twins in the United Kingdom.
Each twin was asked about how urban their living environment was, how they experience nature and how often this visit spaces like parks and private gardens.
Identical twins — who share nearly all the same genes — were found to be more similarly inclined towards nature than fraternal twins, who share half their genes.
Overall, heritability varied from 46 per cent for feelings about nature to 34 per cent for frequency of garden visits — suggesting genetics plays a moderate role here.
However, the team said, more than half of the differences between individuals were found to be explainable via environmental factors.
For example, people living in urban environments tend to have less experiences in nature, having limited access to gardens.
The findings, the researchers said, highlight the importance of providing access to natural spaces in shaping and encouraging nature-seeking behaviour.
Spending time in natural spaces has been found to improve mental wellbeing — even though people can experience and benefit from nature differently.
How much you enjoy spending time in nature appears — at least in part — to be something you inherit from your parents’ genes, a study of twins has revealed (stock image)
The study — which recruited participants from the TwinsUK registry, part of the world’s most detailed study into twins — was undertaken by biologist Richard Fuller of the University of Queensland and his colleagues.
We compared twins who had been raised together with twins raised apart, in an attempt to demonstrate genetic heritability of two traits,’ said Professor Fuller.
These traits, he explained, were ‘how strongly they feel connected to nature, and the amount of time a person spends in nature.’
‘We were truly surprised by what we found,’ he added.
‘Depending on which characteristic you look at, these “nature-loving” behaviours were heritable between 34 and 48 per cent of the time,’ the biologist explained.
‘This means there may be innate genetic differences among people’s psychological connection with natural environments and how they experience them.
‘Our results help to explain why some people have a stronger desire than others to be in nature,’ he concluded.
The researchers also found that the strength of genetic factors on nature appreciation appeared to decline with age — perhaps, the team mused, as people gain a unique set of environmental conditions.
‘Our results reinforced previous findings that a person’s environment is the predominant driver behind their enjoyment of nature,’ Professor Fuller added.
‘But the new information on the role of genetics in shaping our relationship with nature is a significant discovery.’
According to lead paper author and behavioural scientist Chia-Chen Chang of the National University of Singapore, our growing understanding of the benefits of nature makes improving access to natural settings increasingly important.
‘We know that more and more people today are living in urban environments, and this is usually associated with more mental health issues,’ she said.
‘This includes lower levels of subjective wellbeing, a higher risk of psychiatric disorders, or increased depression and anxiety.’
‘Spending a little time at home in the garden can be a great way to experience some nature, but this can’t always be achieved, especially for those in urban areas,’ Dr Chang noted.
‘Increasing accessibility to nature for urban residents through projects such as communal gardens will be hugely beneficial and will play an important part in improving people’s wellbeing overall.’
The full findings of the study were published in the journal PLoS Biology.
