Foonicate

Solastalgia (comfort)(pain)

January 3, 2008 – 1:50 pm

Can the environment around you make you sad? Sure, you could be in prison or in a hospital or even surrounded by miserable people all day, but that’s not the environment I’m talking about. Could the change in nature, or the lack-thereof, make you sad? According to Clive Thompson it can. Clive wrote an article for Wired.com that talks about the effect climate change has on human mood. It’s a very fascinating article; I suggest you read it.

I must agree with Clive that climate change can make a difference. But when I think about what makes me sad, my mind always wanders to industrialization and population growth. In particular, I think about Destin (a city near my home). When I was a little girl, you could drive through Destin and see nothing but beautiful white beaches and emerald water with the occasional shopping center or hotel or gas station dotting the landscape. I guess developers began to see the pristine beaches and had dollar signs run through their minds, because now you can’t see any beach in Destin at all, unless of course you rent a condo and look at your window. Property prices soured and the pseudo-rich poured in from all over, buying up property until the small, fishing village of Destin was a booming metropolis of soccer moms, men in business suits, and rude children with way too much money and time on their hands. I cannot drive through Destin now without feeling sick to my stomach. If only a hurricane would come and wipe it all out…

A little over a year ago we moved into a house that has a fairly large yard and a wooded area across the street. I never realized how miserable I was prior to moving into this house, but the apartment complex we lived in was cramped and overcrowded in the center of town. This lack of nature caused me to be depressed, yet I never could pinpoint why other than blaming my inconsiderate neighbors. Now that we live (basically) in the middle of nowhere, I find that I am much more carefree and happy. I really do think that environment plays a large part in the moods we feel. I definitely wouldn’t call this a clinical disorder, like psychonauts have coined S.A.D.; but I would say that people should seek out their comfort zone and strive to live in it. I know that from now on, I’ll make sure I have plenty of nature around me.