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It's evolution. The windows XP homescreen w/ the rolling green hills was chosen b/c it puts us humans at ease. Our monkey brains like wide open pastures b/c we

It's evolution. The windows XP homescreen w/ the rolling green hills was chosen b/c it puts us humans at ease. Our monkey brains like wide open pastures b/c we can easily see any incoming predators making us feel safe.

spectramax 7y ago
Wow, such an interesting perspective. I never thought about it that way!
mintplant 7y ago
The article suggests that something else---something particular to trees, not just open green spaces---is at work here. > More intriguingly, they also found that exposure to low-lying vegetation was not consistently associated with any particular health outcome. Exposure to grass was, surprisingly, associated with higher odds of psychological distress. The wellness-boosting feature, then, appears to be the trees. > The researchers report that living in areas where 30 percent or more of the outdoor space is dominated by tree canopy was associated with 31 percent lower odds of psychological distress, compared to people living in areas with 0 to 9 percent tree canopy. “Similar results were found for self-related fair to poor general health,” with tree-rich residents reporting better health overall, the researchers write.
tropdrop 7y ago
In the article, wide open pastures with no trees were "associated with higher odds of psychological distress." Don't our distant (monkey) cousins live in and amongst trees, usually? Open pastures with no tree cover just mean easy pickings for an incoming predator, so maybe that hints at why it causes us "distress."
- rlonn 7y ago
  The protection-from-predators theory is interesting, and sounds plausible. I've always disliked nature that was too much groomed also, like perfect lawns, shaped bushes, parks with only two types of trees in them, or whatnot. Sterile, human-made nature. It always lacks diversity - there are few insects, fewer birds, and no larger animals in such environments. I always thought I disliked it because I love nature and wasn't stimulated enough by such barren wastelands, but I guess ut could actually be my monkey brain complaining about a lack of food/foraging opportunities there.
spraak 7y ago
That famous background makes me nauseous ever since the first time I saw it (and not due to the context of being used for XP)
squirrelicus 7y ago
Trying to help you fight the down votes. You might be technically wrong because you forgot the most important part: the hill. Humans love high ground more than we love trees, for the reasons you cite. Treeless flatlands are terrifying.
hibbelig 7y ago
I’ve worked in an office where they gave me Windows 2000, but I didn’t mind because I could see the XP scenery when looking out the office window :-)

spectramax 7y ago

Wow, such an interesting perspective. I never thought about it that way!

mintplant 7y ago

The article suggests that something else---something particular to trees, not just open green spaces---is at work here. > More intriguingly, they also found that exposure to low-lying vegetation was not consistently associated with any particular health outcome. Exposure to grass was, surprisingly, associated with higher odds of psychological distress. The wellness-boosting feature, then, appears to be the trees. > The researchers report that living in areas where 30 percent or more of the outdoor space is dominated by tree canopy was associated with 31 percent lower odds of psychological distress, compared to people living in areas with 0 to 9 percent tree canopy. “Similar results were found for self-related fair to poor general health,” with tree-rich residents reporting better health overall, the researchers write.

tropdrop 7y ago

In the article, wide open pastures with no trees were "associated with higher odds of psychological distress." Don't our distant (monkey) cousins live in and amongst trees, usually? Open pastures with no tree cover just mean easy pickings for an incoming predator, so maybe that hints at why it causes us "distress."

rlonn 7y ago
The protection-from-predators theory is interesting, and sounds plausible. I've always disliked nature that was too much groomed also, like perfect lawns, shaped bushes, parks with only two types of trees in them, or whatnot. Sterile, human-made nature. It always lacks diversity - there are few insects, fewer birds, and no larger animals in such environments. I always thought I disliked it because I love nature and wasn't stimulated enough by such barren wastelands, but I guess ut could actually be my monkey brain complaining about a lack of food/foraging opportunities there.

spraak 7y ago

That famous background makes me nauseous ever since the first time I saw it (and not due to the context of being used for XP)

squirrelicus 7y ago

Trying to help you fight the down votes. You might be technically wrong because you forgot the most important part: the hill. Humans love high ground more than we love trees, for the reasons you cite. Treeless flatlands are terrifying.

hibbelig 7y ago

I’ve worked in an office where they gave me Windows 2000, but I didn’t mind because I could see the XP scenery when looking out the office window :-)