Women View Nature Differently

Women View Nature Differently

Picture1Distinctive Art Source was not surprised to learn that women and men have different views on nature. This article in Psychology Today discusses the growing body of research that shows nature has an effect on women’s self esteem and environmental concern. “The more time women spend in nature, the more positive their body images become, a study in Ecopsychology suggests…Women have, historically and evolutionarily, been the more nurturing gender, and the instinct to care for things probably extends to the environment,” the author explains. “But these findings suggest women are wired to look at nature in a particular way—and that leads to a different sense of environmental concern.”

This evidence supports the value of creating patient-based art programs that consider images from the perspective of specific patient populations. While it’s tempting to select artwork that is pleasing to the art committee or simply coordinates with the interiors, we do our patients a disservice when we neglect to consider their unique perspective. In working with Northeast Georgia Health System on the North Patient Tower, we were careful to provide different views of nature – from macro to scenic – throughout the facility to appeal to men and women on multiple levels.