Via National Geographic Richard Louv, the author of the bestsellers Last Child in the Woods (2005) and The Nature Principle (2011) argues that nature-deficit disorder affects “health, spiritual well-being, and many other areas, including [people’s] ability to feel ultimately alive. The causes of the disorder include loss of open space, increasingly busy schedules, an emphasis on team sports over individualized play and exploration, competition from electronic media, and what Louv and others call a “culture of fear,” in which people are afraid to visit natural areas or even go outside due to heavy media coverage of violent events. Read more
