CEN Colloquium, Mat White: From “sure, nature is good” to “okay we need to take this seriously”

The idea that spending time in and around natural settings can promote positive health and well-being is not new and much of the public intuitively understand it. A typical response to research in this area is “Yeah sure, did we really need research to tell us that?” It’s a fair question. But if we all know it to be true then why do we: a) give so little space to nature in our cities; and b) not spend more time in nature for our health? The talk will discuss the needed transition from a “stating the obvious” research field to one of high-quality science and intervention implementation and highlight how many of the potential benefits are under-recognized, under-researched, and consequently under-valued, including economically. Among many advances needed in the field, environmental neuroscience has an important part to play in the drive for higher quality evidence that directly supports public and private action.

Bio: Mat White is a health and environmental psychologist specializing in the role of natural environments on mental health, well-being, and community and individual resilience. From 2011-2020 he was coordinator of the ‘Blue Gym’ project exploring blue spaces (coastal and inland waters) and health. He is currently PI on the EU Horizon Europe RESONATE programme (2023-2027) developing and testing nature-based social prescribing for community resilience across Europe. He has been a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher yearly since 2020 and was awarded the 2019 Delcroix Prize for Oceans and Human Health.

Join in person at the MPIB or remotely via WebEx: https://mpib-berlin.webex.com/mpib-berlin/j.php?MTID=maff3dee0ad54cb921191ff33d0b92347

Meeting number: 2744 645 6180

Password: ArpQMePJ352