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Do you want to make your contribution to the fight against the climate crisis? Why not try participatory science? In addition to actively involving us in an activity committed to the preservation of the planet, this type of project has the advantage of making us happier, says an English study.
Measuring the chemical content of ocean waters while surfing, counting the birds that land around us, sifting through the packaging of food products… In recent years, citizen science projects around ecology have been legion. Often carried out in a playful dimension, this type of experience is a great success with the citizens who take part. And, icing on the cake: in addition to getting involved in a meaningful mission, participating in these projects would make us happier.
At least that’s what it says research published in the journal People and Nature. Led by researchers from the University of Derby and the Center for Ecology and Hydrology in Wallingford (England), the research is based on an experiment carried out over a week with 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 or a nature observation activity, or both.
Good in your body, good in your head!
An increased sense of well-being and usefulness
At the end of the study, the researchers noted significant positive effects in the participants, such as an increased feeling of well-being, a stronger feeling of closeness to nature or even the personal satisfaction of having contributed to a change. However, the study notes some differences between the members of each group. People who participated only in a citizen science activity, for example, obtained lower scores relating to their connection with nature or their feeling of well-being, but on the other hand felt more intensely the impression of “being have made a difference”.
While all the volunteers mentioned an increased feeling of being in symbiosis with nature, it was those who participated in both types of activities (nature observation and participatory science) for whom the experience seemed to have been the most beneficial. . “Citizen science is more than just a means of collecting data: it is beneficial for the well-being of participants (when combined with nature discovery activities) and for encouraging engagement in conservation. of the planet”, conclude the authors of the study.
This research adds to the scientific literature devoted to the beneficial effects of contact with nature on our mental health. But, paradoxically, city dwellers are moving further and further away from it. According to a recent study, we are indeed living further and further away from green spaces. At the global level, the geographical distance between the habitats of city dwellers and the corners of greenery would amount to 9.7 km on average. In France, it would be 16 km. All the more reason to answer the call of green when you leave home!