Testing the Biophilia Hypothesis Through the Human and Nature Scale on Four Continents

Abstract

According to the biophilia hypothesis, humans have a fundamental tendency to affiliate with nature. If this hypothesis is true, large majorities of people should express a high level of nature-friendliness (a tendency to affiliate with nature), and this level should have low variability across cultures. We tested this proposition using the interculturally applicable Human and Nature (HaN) scale. We compare the outcomes from 12 previously published studies that applied the HaN scale on four continents and show that a high level of nature-friendliness was indeed detected in all countries. We also demonstrate that the cross-cultural variability of the nature-friendliness levels was as small as their within-culture variability. Jointly then, these 12 studies offer strong support for the biophilia hypothesis. We share implications that are valuable for policymaking as well as further theoretical development of human–nature relationship research, particularly around relational values with nature and ecological virtue ethics.