Reproduction of Thoreau’s cabin at Walden Pond / Courtesy of Dickinson College
Henry David Thoreau spent two years isolated in Walden Pond, observing and becoming acutely aware of his natural environment. He famously writes, “Nature spontaneously keeps us well. Do not resist her!” Thoreau’s experience may seem farfetched but it hinges upon our innate need for contact with the natural world.
In the developed world, in cities like New York, residents often flock to parks for revitalization and respite. Some of Manhattan’s most coveted and expensive real estate borders the colossal Central Park. While many of us cannot imagine leaving our fast paced and demanding environments to pursue a life isolated in the woods, Thoreau’s observations can still extend to our own experiences with nature.
Brown and Kasser (2005) performed two studies that point to the relationship between nature and personal well-being that help to explain Thoreau’s exclamation. The researchers found a positive relationship between the happiness of American teenagers and their self-reported “environmentally friendly behaviors.” These behaviors ranged from recycling, turning off lights, and reusing materials. They also found that Americans who report high life satisfaction also engage in environmentally friendly behaviors.
Brown and Kasser conclude that this relationship exists because sustainability supports several dimensions of our psychological needs. They point to our innate human desire for safety and security. They suggest that our increased pollution and diminished water supplies can have severe consequences on our mental well-being.
Dennis Blair the Director of the National Intelligence Administration and advisor to President Barack Obama shares this sentiment. Blair stated that climate change is a leading threat to national security. He reportedly said before Congress that, “The impacts [of climate change] will worsen existing problems such as poverty, social tensions, environmental degradation, ineffectual leadership and weak political institutions.”
While continued research in this relatively unknown subject points to a positive relationship between personal well-being and sustainable actions, why do some politicians suggest otherwise?
In 1992, preceding the UN Earth Summit in Rio, President George H. W. Bush stated that, “the American way of life is not up for negotiation.” While this was over two decades ago, and more research has emerged, many policymakers still declare that sustainability threatens personal freedom and happiness. This argument focuses on what we as a society have to sacrifice today versus what we will have to give up tomorrow. The “tradeoff” argument misses the purpose of sustainability because it ignores the needs of future generations. The UN defines sustainability as a “decent standard of living for everyone today without compromising the needs of future generations.”
Based on former George H.W. Bush’s argument, why then is the U.S. consistently ranked in the middle of the pack of countries on the basis of happiness? The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) published their second World Happiness Report in 2013. They found that the countries with the highest level of happiness are Denmark followed by Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Of 156 countries studied, the U.S. ranked 17, directly behind Mexico and one place ahead of Ireland.
Compare this to the Happy Planet Index, a new index, which measures happiness by evaluating the experienced well-being, life expectancy, and the ecological footprint of each country evaluated. Scores are measured along these standards and the highest score possible is 100. To receive a score of 100, a country has to succeed along all three dimensions. No country has yet to achieve a perfect score. Costa Rica was given the highest HPI score of 76.1 among 143 countries measured. The USA came in at 114. Americans report much lower levels of life satisfaction than Costa Ricans and have an ecological footprint four times the size of Costa Rica.
Nic Marks Discusses the Happy Planet Index / Video Courtesy of TED.
While the HPI provides a unique measure, the UN’s SDSN’s Worlds Happiness Report is considered a more credible and reliable measurement of happiness at the country level. One of the most interesting differences between these two indices is their ranking of Scandinavia. While Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are ranked in the top five by the UN, the HPI first ranks its first Northern European country, Norway at 29.
A further inspection of happiness levels in Scandinavia in relation to their collectivist, progressive sustainable policies will provide an important glimpse into Thoreau’s proclamation from a policy lens.