In his book, "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder", author Richard Louv presents evidence detailing the cultural genocide of nature in the lives of our children, and the inevitable links between this unnatural disconnect and a host of harmful repercussions, such as overweight, cognitive and emotional problems.

A growing field of psychological and environmental research has begun to explore and describe the mental, physical and social restoration and health promotion we derive from nature. In fact, one of the first empirical studies in this field actually took place in a wilderness setting in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, which led to several subsequent investigations that have influenced a generation of environmental psychologists and researchers.

Emerging from this work is a theory of restorative environments, which posits that exposure to nature can improve neuropsychological outcomes (such as creativity, sustained attention, mental clarity, and positive mood), resilience to adversity as well as the body's own healing process, especially among those who have experienced high levels of stress.