Overview
- Anthropologists Daniel Longman and Colin Shaw advance an environmental mismatch hypothesis that rapid industrialization has exceeded humans' adaptive pace, undermining reproduction, cognition and immune function.
- Published in Biological Reviews, the paper synthesizes observational and experimental evidence linking air, noise and light pollution, pesticides and microplastics to adverse health outcomes.
- In a Swiss field experiment, 160 participants spent three hours in mixed or conifer forests or at an urban intersection, with forest exposure tied to lower blood pressure, reduced psychological stress and stronger immune responses.
- The authors say modern stressors such as traffic, work pressure and constant sensory stimulation chronically activate acute fight‑or‑flight systems designed for intermittent threats.
- They recommend protecting and regenerating natural spaces, cutting urban pollution and designing cities that incorporate nature to support physiological recovery.