Sue Thomas - How to feel better without logging off
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The document discusses the beneficial effects of nature on well-being, emphasizing concepts like biophilia and technobiophilia. It presents various studies showing how exposure to natural scenes, whether real or virtual, positively affects psychological health and cognitive performance. The author advocates for integrating nature into our digital lives to enhance overall well-being.
Sue Thomas - How to feel better without logging off
- 1. How to feel better without logging off 9 January 2019, Cilip MmIT, London Dr Sue Thomas www.suethomas.net @suethomas Visiting Fellow , Bournemouth University
- 4. My own metaphors ‘Virtuality is my landscape, my city streets, my forests and my plains.’ Hello World: travels in virtuality Sue Thomas Raw Nerve Books, 2004. Sue Thomas www.suethomas.net 4
- 5. In 2005 I began researching nature metaphors in cyberspace • fields, webs, streams, rivers, trails, paths, torrents, clouds, islands • apples, blackberries, trees, roots, branches • spiders, viruses, worms, pythons, lynxes, gophers, bug, mouse • lion, snow leopard, leopard, tiger, panther, jaguar, puma, cheetah, mountain lion (all Apple O/S) The Computer Insectiary. Roger Ebert & John Kratz, 1994. suethomas.net 5
- 6. The turning point came when I discovered biophilia ‘The innate attraction to life and lifelike processes.’ E.O. Wilson (1984) Wilson proposed that the tendency of humans to focus on and to affiliate with nature and other life-forms has, in part, a genetic basis. I realised that biophilia is the hidden programme running in the background of our lives.
- 7. In 2013 I published my conclusions in ‘Technobiophilia’ ‘The innate attraction to life and lifelike processes as they appear in technology.’ Sue Thomas (2013)
- 9. 1971 Hospital experiment (Ulrich) 46 hospital patients recovering from gall bladder removal surgery. Half were assigned to a room with a window facing a brick wall, and half to a room with a window overlooking a natural scene. Of the two groups, those with windows looking out onto a natural scene were found to have had shorter postop hospital stays , received fewer negative evaluative comments in nurses’ notes, and took fewer potent analgesics than the 23 matched patients in similar rooms where the view was confined to a brick wall. suethomas.net 9
- 10. 1980s Nearby Nature (Kaplans) Small suggestions of the natural world which, although seemingly insignificant and often out of physical reach, can play a powerful role in human well-being. Even the sight of a few trees viewed through a window can provide a sense of satisfaction. R&S Kaplan, The Experience of Nature, 1989
- 11. 2003 Blood donors watching a nature video (Ulrich) Texas A&M University in 2003 found that stressed blood donors experienced lowered blood pressure and pulse rates while sitting in a room where a videotape of a nature scene was playing. suethomas.net 11
- 12. 2008 Can walking in nature can improve our ability to concentrate and pay attention? (Berman) 17 students walked first in a park in the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, then the following week in busy urban streets nearby. Their mood, levels of attention, and other measures were rigorously tested before and after each process. The experiment was then repeated using photographs of scenery in Nova Scotia and North American urban spaces. There was clear evidence that cognitive performance was much improved in the group who encountered nature either physically or via photographs. Berman, Marc G., John Jonides and Stephen Kaplan. ‘The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature’. Psychological Science Vol. 19 No. 12, 2008: 1207–1212. suethomas.net 12
- 13. But, of course, we know all this! Nature is good for you! suethomas.net 13
- 14. Do you worry that your digital life is taking you away from Nature? suethomas.net 14
- 15. Psychologist Deltcho Valtchanov – how would Berman’s test work in VR? ‘The results showed that immersion in the computer -generated virtual reality nature space prompted ‘an increase in positive affect (happiness, friendliness, affection and playfulness) and a decrease in negative affect (fear, anger and sadness). There were also significant decreases in levels of both perceived and physiological stress’. ‘It is virtual nature that is responsible for the observed restoration and not virtual reality itself’. Deltcho Valtchanov. ‘Physiological and affective responses to immersion in virtual reality: Effects of nature and urban settings’.University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2010. (69 subjects) suethomas.net 15
- 16. It works on screens too Some of the most frequently cited experiments proving the beneficial effects of nature are actually proving the benefits, not of being outside on grass or amongst trees and flowers, but of viewing images of them through a window, in a picture, or even on a screen. http://www.3planesoft.com/nature- screensavers/nature-3d-screensaver/ suethomas.net 16
- 17. And in VR: Pain control in SnowWorld “The essence of VR is the illusion users have of going inside the computer- generated environment. Being drawn into another world drains a lot of attentional resources, leaving less attention available to process pain signals. Conscious attention is like a spotlight. Usually it is focused on the pain and wound care. We are luring that spotlight into the virtual world. Rather than having pain as the focus of their attention, for many patients in VR, the wound care becomes more of an annoyance, distracting them from their primary goal of exploring the virtual world.” Hunter Hoffman & David Patterson, University of Washington, 1996 https://depts.washington.edu/hplab/research/virtual-reality/ suethomas.net 17
- 18. Digital Dualism “Digital dualists believe that the digital world is ‘virtual’ and the physical world ‘real.’ “This is a fallacy. Instead, I want to argue that the digital and physical are increasingly meshed.” Nathan Jurgenson, Digital Dualism versus Augmented Reality, 2011 suethomas.net 18
- 19. Attention Restoration Theory (ART) Being away – the setting is physically or conceptually different from one’s usual environment Extent - a setting sufficiently rich and coherent that it engages the mind and promotes exploration Fascination (soft & hard) - content or mental processes that engage attention effortlessly & allow you to rest your mind. Compatibility - good fit between your inclinations and the kinds of activities supported by the setting. R&S Kaplan, The Experience of Nature, 1989 suethomas.net 19
- 20. BEING AWAY Farmville Researchers at Zynga, the company that makes the Facebook game Farmville, told me that a fair percentage of players have reported feeling strongly connected to nature when they played FarmVille. Many use it to relax and de-stress. Players who have no access to their own piece of land see it as a substitute for real gardening. https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8546/15587703 360_959b976f8e_z.jpg suethomas.net 20
- 21. BEING AWAY Grand Theft Auto V “Nothing beats actually going up into the mountains and breathing the air up there and I’d never want to replace that with technology, but games like this need to be appreciated for what they can offer in their own way too.” (Adam Thwaites) ‘Great Chapparal’ by Adam Thwaites, in San Andreas State, Grand Theft Auto suethomas.net 21
- 22. EXTENT The Information Superhighway “Cyberspace is like the 19th- century American West.” (John Perry Barlow) “The Web is not geographically constrained.” (Blavin & Cohen, 2002) “The information superhighway is not like a regular highway” . (ACLU sues to quell Internet censorship law Vol. XIX No. 3 – Page 21’. Student Press Law Center. 1998. suethomas.net 22
- 23. EXTENT Net Surfing ‘I needed something that would evoke a sense of randomness, chaos, and even danger. I wanted something fishy, net-like, nautical.’ First use of internet ‘surfing’ by Jean Armour Polly, 1992 One morning in 1995, the author J. C. Herz logged off at dawn, walked the four blocks from her apartment to the blue Atlantic, and jumped in. ‘Wow’, she thought, ‘now this is bandwidth’. ‘Surfing on the Internet’, J.C. Herz, 1995. ‘The internet is a lot like the ocean – we see very little of it at any one time.’ Tim O’Reilly, 2009 suethomas.net 23
- 24. FASCINATION Videos Soft fascination invites the mind to wander. Clouds, sunsets, scenery and the motion of the leaves in a breeze are good examples. A video of a waterfall in Ireland that went viral on YouTube is helping millions of people who suffer from insomnia. Artist Johnnie Lawson uploaded the 8hr footage of the wooden bridge on the River Bonet in County Leitrim five years ago. It has been viewed over six million times, and is used as part of medical research for several London hospitals. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/waterfall-video- uploaded-to-youtube-helps-people-with-insomnia- 10224414.html 24
- 25. FASCINATION Notifications ‘Connectedness, or relatedness, or the existence of some larger pattern is required in order to engage this high-level human motivation.’ ‘Making a Tweet is very much like tossing a leaf or twig into a stream’. (Chris Brogan) The scroll of a Twitter feed, or the constantly renewing posts on Facebook captivate the user with a gentle stream of process activities – news, queries, greetings – which cast a spell over us as surely as waves breaking gently on the shore. https://goo.gl/images/77Lz7l 25
- 26. COMPATIBILITY Design “The carpentered world is replete with straight lines, angles and rectangular objects but nature and the countryside lack rectangularity.” (Yi Fu Tuan) At present, most computer hardware is generally angular; most screens flat and sharp-cornered. Even the keys are square despite the fact that the tips of our fingers are semi- circular. Materials are mostly plastic and metal. In the future we will see more attention paid to haptic qualities like softness and pliability, and to natural materials like wood and stone. suethomas.net 26
- 27. COMPATABILITY Virtual design ‘Digital living will include less and less dependence upon being in a specific place at a specific time, and the transmission of place itself will start to become possible. “If I could really look out the electronic window of my living room in Boston and see the Alps, hear the cowbells, and smell the (digital) manure in summer, in a way I am very much in Switzerland”. Nicholas Negroponte, founding editor of Wired Magazine, 1995 Image: Virtual Balcony, Ovation of the Seas 2016, Penny Wong suethomas.net 27
- 28. The Biophilic City ‘Cities of abundant nature in close proximity to large numbers of urbanites; biophilic cities are biodiverse cities, that value, protect, and actively restore this biodiversity; biophilic cities are green and growing cities, organic and natureful’. Tim Beatley, University of Virginia Supertree Grove, Singapore suethomas.net 28
- 29. The Technobiophilic City ‘’We can look forward to the promise and potential of technobiophilic cities, that at once commit to restoring and enjoying actual nature, but acknowledge the realities of life in cities (much of it inside, and behind a screen), and the powerful ways in which our digital technologies could underpin and help to reinforce our natureful commitments and experiences and our biophilic tendencies.’ Tim Beatley, ‘Handbook of Biophilic City Planning and Design’, 2017. Starry Night Cycle Path, Studio Roosegaarde, Eindhoven, Holland suethomas.net 29
- 30. Biophilic Design “Biophilic design connects buildings to the natural world, buildings where people feel and perform better” Stephen Kellert Image: Austin Central Library, Austin, Texas. suethomas.net 30
- 31. Technobiophilic Design “Technobiophilic design connects our digital lives to the natural world so we can feel and perform better.” (Sue Thomas) Bioluminescent trees Designer Audrey Richard-Laurent proposes combining trees and streetlights into bioluminescent trees. In urban areas, one usually sees a row of trees parallel to streetlights. Why not hybridize them? Some organisms such as jellyfish, fireflies and mushrooms, can emit light. http://www.nextnature.net/2009/07/biolumi nescent-trees-will-replace-streetlights/ suethomas.net 31
- 32. Technobiophilic design challenges for developers We need ● Apps and wearables ● Hardware and software ● For indoors, outdoors and in VR ● For all ages and abilities Symbio connects you to your houseplant. Designed at the Nucleus of Art and New Organisms, a trans-disciplinary hothouse of artistic and engineering talent in Rio de Janeiro where they research and develop technological, organic, and sensorial hybrid systems. https://theconversation.com/talking-to- houseplants-might-make-them-happy-but- one-app-calls-for-a-deeper-connection-28027 suethomas.net 32
- 33. IT’S YOUR DECISION Let’s design a life where the digital is smoothly integrated into the day to day. Turn it off when you want. Turn it on when you want. It’s up to you. Select a daily dose of nature and blend it into your wired life. Or choose a daily dose of digital and blend into your natureful life. It’s your decision. You are in control, not your smartphone. suethomas.net 33
- 34. Technobiophilia contributes to digital wellbeing • Aim for more nature, not less technology • Try a picture of a forest for your screen. Research has shown that pictures of dense groups of leafy trees are very calming. • Enjoy something slow. Norwegian TV showed streaming video of the world’s strongest tidal current, Saltstraumen, for 12 hours! • Instead of music on your phone, try the sounds of nature - birdsong, rain, rustling trees. • Find a tech/nature balance that suits you. suethomas.net 34
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- 40. Thank you Join us at the Digital Wellbeing Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/digitalwellbeing/ Dr Sue Thomas www.suethomas.net @suethomas Visiting Fellow, The Media School, Bournemouth University, UK.