The self-isolating impact of the coronavirus throughout this year has underlined the vital role nature plays in our health and wellbeing, but new research from the National University of Singapore underlines the importance of nature in our lives.

The researchers used AI to analyze around 31,000 photographs posted on social media by users from 185 different countries to try and understand what makes people happy.

“Integrating social media data and AI opens up a unique opportunity for us to carry out unprecedented large-scale global studies such as this to better understand our interactions with nature in our daily lives,” the researchers say.

Natural fun

The analysis revealed that photographs tagged as fun were most likely to contain elements of nature, whether that’s water, plants or other aspects of natural landscapes.

These findings were consistent across the world, and the researchers believe they provide clear evidence of biophilia, which is our natural tendency to seek a connection with nature.

The analysis also revealed a clear connection with the amount of nature-based experiences and the overall life satisfaction of residents.  For instance, countries such as Finland and Costa Rica, where nature-based pictures were common, also scored highly on national life satisfaction in the World Happiness Report.

“Our study brings to light the cultural and social values that nature brings to humans. It further emphasizes the importance of preserving our natural environment,” the researchers conclude. “For the loss of nature may mean more than losing quantifiable economic and ecological benefits; it could also mean losing the background to our fondest memories.”