Are We Born to Love Nature?
The science behind our innate connection to the natural world.
Posted April 9, 2025 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch
We often think of ancestry as something that lives in genealogy records or DNA tests—a set of coordinates to chart where we came from. But what if our ancestors also left behind a different kind of inheritance? What if a map back to the natural world is buried in our bones and memory ?
This is a question that’s been haunting me—in the best way—as I’ve guided individuals and groups through workshops designed to help us reconnect with the natural world. Again and again, I’ve witnessed something extraordinary: When people begin to explore their ancestral connection to the Earth, something awakens.
It’s not just sentiment. It feels more like a dormant faculty reactivating—a sensory remembering that seems to arise from somewhere older than personal experience. I’ve come to think of this as biophilic inheritance: a layered connection to the Earth that may be carried forward not only through cultural memory and story, but potentially through biological mechanisms as well.* To understand this more fully, we can turn to science.
The Memory Beneath the Mind
Psychologists and philosophers have long hinted at something like this. Carl Jung described the collective unconscious —archetypal patterns shaping our thoughts and dreams . Theodore Roszak and Joanna Macy wrote of the ecological self and the grief we feel when cut off from the living systems that once held us.
Biologist E.O. Wilson (1984) famously proposed the biophilia hypothesis , suggesting that our love of nature is not learned, but inherited—an evolved trait favoring survival among those attuned to natural patterns. Even young children, without prompting, are drawn to rivers, trees, animals—reminders of a world they’ve never been taught to love, but somehow already do (Chawla, 2020). Just as we may inherit this deep affinity, researchers also describe biophobia —as an innate fear or aversion to certain natural elements, like snakes, insects, or darkness (Orr, 1993). Together, biophilia and biophobia reveal that our connection to nature is shaped not only by evolution, but also by experience—woven through both our genes and our stories.
And increasingly, science is catching up with what our bodies and cultures have long intuited: that inheritance isn’t only genetic; it can be emotional, relational, and shaped by lived experience. Epigenetic research reveals that experiences like trauma , nourishment, and attachment can leave chemical “marks” on our genes—modifications that influence how DNA is expressed and can be passed to future generations (Yehuda et al., 2014). In other words, we can inherit not just traits, but tendencies shaped by our ancestors’ lived experiences.
Could the same be true of our relationship with the Earth? Could our children's enjoyment of playing in the rain, splashing in puddles, throwing snowballs, climbing trees, and chasing butterflies be something older than themselves? Could our joy in watching the sunset or star-bathing be something ancestral stirring?
Rewilding What’s Already Within
In my work exploring the human psyche through the lens of rewilding, I’ve noticed that when people reconnect with nature—especially through ancestral practices, rituals, or landscapes—it often feels less like discovering and more like remembering.
Across cultures and generations, our ancestors performed rituals to honor the Earth, their relationships with one another, and their kinship with the more-than-human world. They lit fires to release sorrow and mark transitions, bathed in rivers and oceans to cleanse the spirit, and offered flowers, food, or prayers at the roots of trees and the edges of fields. Across the globe, these rituals weren’t spiritual extras; they were essential to the rhythm of life. These practices reflect a relational worldview—one in which the Earth is treated with reverence, reciprocity, and ceremony.
And when people today engage in gestures that echo these ancestral rituals—placing a flower at the base of a tree, lighting a fire to mark a threshold, offering words of gratitude to the land—something often stirs. These acts, though simple, can awaken a kind of embodied memory. They feel like a remembrance or reanimation of something long known, reawakened through intentional, relational contact with the living world.
As noted above, I call this phenomenon biophilic inheritance — a term that draws on both Wilson’s concept of biophilia and the growing field of transgenerational epigenetics . It reflects a convergence of biology, psychology, and ancestral memory—a sense that part of our ecological identity lies dormant until awakened by sensory, cultural, or symbolic contact with the natural world.
And when it does awaken, the effects can be profound.
Research confirms what many intuitively feel: Even brief exposure to nature reduces anxiety , improves mood, and boosts cognitive performance (Bratman et al., 2019). For some, the experience goes further—creating a sense of homecoming, emotional grounding, or spiritual clarity that feels deeply personal, even sacred.
We are living through twin emergencies: an ecological crisis and a psychological one. Rates of anxiety, depression , and disconnection are rising—in parallel with accelerating climate change (World Health Organization, 2022). There are no easy solutions. But what if one remedy lies not in invention, but in reconnection? What if our disconnection from nature is a kind of cultural amnesia—and healing begins with recovering our biophilic inheritance?
The Australian philosopher Glenn Albrecht (2007) coined the term solastalgia to describe the distress people feel when their home environments are damaged or altered—a kind of homesickness while still at home. It’s a grief not for what has been entirely lost, but for what is disappearing before our eyes. Perhaps part of what we inherit is not only a love of the natural world, but a deep-seated sorrow when it fades—a signal from within that something essential is being forgotten.
Remembering our biophilic inheritance isn’t just a path to personal healing. It may be key to rekindling our collective care for the living world. To protect what remains, we must remember who we are.
- Biophilic inheritance is a term I use to describe the transgenerational transmission of an affinity for nature, shaped by both biology and culture. It expands on E.O. Wilson’s biophilia hypothesis—his proposal that the human love of nature is innate and evolutionarily adaptive—by integrating insights from epigenetics, depth psychology, and ancestral memory. This concept suggests that our bond with the natural world is not solely learned, but may be inherited in multiple forms: through gene expression patterns, cultural ritual, embodied experience, and the symbolic imagination .
I offer workshops and retreats to help people reconnect with the natural world—and with the deeper memory of who we are. To learn more, visit Rewilding: Lab .
Roszak, T. (1992). The voice of the Earth: An exploration of ecopsychology. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Macy, J., & Johnstone, C. (2012). Active hope: How to face the mess we’re in without going crazy. Novato, CA: New World Library.
Wilson, E. O. (1984). Biophilia . Harvard University Press.
Chawla L. (2020). Childhood nature connection and constructive hope: A review of research on connecting with nature and coping with environmental loss. People Nat . 2020; 2: 619–642. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10128
Orr, D. W. (1993). Love it or lose it: The coming biophilia revolution. In S. R. Kellert & E. O. Wilson (Eds.), The biophilia hypothesis (pp. 415–440). Washington, DC: Island Press.
Yehuda R, Daskalakis NP, Lehrner A, Desarnaud F, Bader HN, Makotkine I, Flory JD, Bierer LM, Meaney MJ. Influences of maternal and paternal PTSD on epigenetic regulation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene in Holocaust survivor offspring. Am J Psychiatry. 2014 Aug;171(8):872-880. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.13121571. PMID: 24832930; PMCID: PMC4127390.
Gregory N. Bratman et al. (2019). Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective. Sci. Adv. 5, eaax0903 (2019). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax0903
Albrecht G, Sartore G-M, Connor L, et al. Solastalgia: The Distress Caused by Environmental Change. Australasian Psychiatry. 2007;15(1_suppl):S95-S98. doi:10.1080/10398560701701288
Mental health and Climate Change: Policy Brief (2022). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240045125
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Dana Klisanin, Ph.D. , is a psychologist exploring the use of media and digital technologies to support human flourishing. Her research focuses on mindfulness, altruism, and new forms of heroism.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.