Biodiversity, mental health and well-being: psychological mechanisms and moderators of a complex relationship (BIOWELL)

Abstract

Human activities and their consequences, such as environmental pollution, the exploitation of resources or deforestation, are major causes of biodiversity loss. However, humans depend on a biologically diverse and healthy environment in many ways, as it provides access to clean water, air and food. The loss of biodiversity is an ecological crisis that threatens human health, and ultimately their very existence. At the same time, there is an unwavering interest in the positive effects of "nature" on mental health. Although these examples point to a connection between biodiversity and health, little is known about the causal effects of different facets of biodiversity on mental health. Exploring these relationships and the underlying psychological mechanisms is a major goal of this project. We will build on the expertise of an interdisciplinary team involving scholars from psychology, biodiversity research, human geography, and behavioural economics and combine this expertise with a variety of methods, with a focus on quantitative research, experimental and intervention designs, and investigate participants from different age groups to understand the causal effects of different environments with varying degrees of biological diversity on mental health, and to identify the physical, social, and psychological boundary conditions of these causal effects.