People living in areas with more parks, trees and grass live
longer and happier lives, with less violence and improved mental
and physical health, according to research presented at the
conference of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science in Chicago. “Humans are evolved organisms and the
environment is our habitat,” lead researcher Frances Kuo said.
“Now, as human societies become more urban, we as scientists are
in a position to look at humans in much the same way that those
who study animal behavior have looked at animals in the wild to
see the effect of a changing habitat on this species.” A growing
number of studies are showing that humans living in settings
lacking living plants show physical, psychological and social
disorders similar to those developed by other animals that have
been removed from their natural habitats. “In animals what you
see is increases in aggression, you see disrupted parenting
patterns,” Kuo said. On the physical level, a large-scale Dutch
study found that the am