Understanding Human Attachment to Nature through Animals
June 30, 2003
URBANA -- Are animal lovers always nature lovers? Environmental psychologist and University of Illinois professor Joanne Vining has hypothesized that people’s affection for animals may have something to do with how they care about the environment.
Psychologists have done numerous studies on humans and their attachment to animals and/or their pets as well as numerous studies on people’s concern for nature and the environment. Vining is the first to test these factors empirically to see if they influence each other.