Nature Archetypes – Concepts Related to Objects and Phenomena in Natural Environments. A Swedish Case

Abstract

Do people classify nature in ways that can be described as archetypes? Could it be that these can be interpreted as health promotive? More and more researchers today suggest that archetypes can be used to analyze, describe, and develop green spaces. In parallel, an increasing number of research results since the 1980s have shown that human health and well-being are positively affected by stays in certain nature areas. The qualities in these nature areas which stand out to be most health-promoting are interpreted to be properties of nature that humans through evolution are prepared to perceive in a positive way. In this study, 547 respondents in southern Sweden answered a questionnaire on properties in natural areas. Through cluster analysis, these properties have been grouped into 10 types of nature and landscape. The 10 clusters are related to specific phenomena and places in Scandinavian nature, which could be described as archetypal. These natural phenomena and places are discussed, partly based on references to archaic Scandinavian mythology, Scandinavian lifestyle, and cultural canon, and partly on research on evolution, human preferences, and how nature can affect human health. We discuss how these nature archetypes evoke anxiety, fear, and distancing as well as calmness, tranquility, and connection. However, researchers have so far focused on how visits to natural environments have affected the sympathetic nervous system, and not realized the possibility of including the calm and connection system as well as the oxytocin in their explanatory models. In a follow-up article, we intend to develop a model for how the nature archetypes can interact with the calm and connection system.

The Oxytocinergic System as a Mediator of Anti-stress and Instorative Effects Induced by Nature: The Calm and Connection Theory

“…The results from the survey with questionnaires are presented briefly below. For a fuller description, see Ottosson and Grahn (2021) . Figure 1 shows the dendrogram over the cluster analysis.…”

“…Nature archetypes, perceived as friendly, lush, and safe, may attract humans ( Ottosson and Grahn, 2021 ). Nature may influence humans through visual experiences, such as colors and shapes; olfactory stimuli, such as the scent of flowers or mushrooms; and auditory stimuli, such as birdsong or tranquil sounds from the wind in the treetops or from waves rolling toward the beach.…”

“…The first study to be reported in this article is a quantitative study which has resulted in a cluster analysis. The cluster tree, the dendrogram, has thereafter been interpreted qualitatively ( Ottosson and Grahn, 2021 ). The second study to be reported is an introspective study of rehabilitation after a serious traffic accident ( Ottosson, 1997 , 2001 , 2007 ).…”

“…The respondents filled in a comprehensive questionnaire, which contained 257 objects and phenomena in natural areas, and the results were processed through Ward’s hierarchical cluster analysis. The results showed that the respondents grouped objects and phenomena in nature into ten distinct clusters, which could be interpreted as ten archetypes ( Ottosson and Grahn, 2021 ).…”

“…Recently, Ottosson and Grahn (2021) reported the results of a questionnaire study in Sweden of different types of plant and animal species, lakes, mountains, weather phenomena, etc. This resulted in ten clusters, which were interpreted to be ten nature archetypes ( Ottosson and Grahn, 2021 ). They suggested that these nature archetypes may affect people’s preferences, behaviors, and health.…”