Views and Spaces

Over the next weeks we will look at Coulthard’s take on Biophilia and Views and Spaces. 

On recently in human evolution have we surrounded ourselves in these urban environments we currently live in. Before this we were in nature. We had to read, react and respond to the world around us. Some argue we are hardwired to do this.

Photo by jotily/iStock / Getty Images
Photo by jotily/iStock / Getty Images

 

So despite putting ourselves in small apartments in crowded cities, our brains are still affiliated with nature.

 

Research has shown that we prefer pictures of the environment. Things like the

  • Jungle,

  • Desert,

  • Mountain,

  • Forests etc.

Out of these, we prefer pictures of savannas the best, though.[i] This called the ‘savana preference’.

 

Photo by czekma13/iStock / Getty Images
Photo by czekma13/iStock / Getty Images

It is thought that this is due to our early ancestors living in Africa.

It is also thought that natural views helps us to rest our minds from the constant inputs of our busy days.

Conclusion

We have only recently surrounded ourselves in dense urban areas and our minds are still drawn toward the natural environment from which we came. We like natural scenes but especially prefer pictures of the savanna. Over the next weeks we will look at how views affect us and how to bring them into our homes.


[i] Balling and Falkin cited in Coulthard.

 

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