An investigation into the psychology of environment and Capilano U students’ personal testimonies
Yasmine Modaresi (she/her) // Crew Writer
Cameron Skorulski (he/him) // Illustrator
Located right on the border of Mount Seymour Provincial Park’s gorgeous temperate rainforest, Capilano University’s (CapU) North Vancouver campus is the perfect location for overworked and perhaps borderline neurotic students to decompress after a long week of teeter-tottering through cycles of chronic procrastination and brilliantly inspired hyper-productivity. Aside from the thicket of trees on campus, only a few minutes walk from Bosa Centre there is a graveyard and a road leading into the surrounding provincial park, where ski grounds, biking trails and wildlife await the voyagers.
Exposure to natural environments improves cognitive function, brain activity and blood pressure. Additionally also mental health benefits and one’s ability to sleep. Are CapU students actually taking advantage of their proximity to nature to increase their physical well-being? The truth is that all students are different, and everyone enjoys the outdoors in their own way depending on their energy levels and what they personally find fun.
“I think that having all the trees surrounding campus does make me feel encouraged to spend more time in nature,” says Kirsten Hadden, a student in the Music Therapy program at CapU’s North Vancouver campus. Managing the hectic schedules of a full-time student, Hadden doesn’t have a whole lot of free time in between her classes, but “sitting outside near the library… is refreshing and a nice change of environment” for her. The outdoor space offers an effective alternative to other quiet places of refuge on campus, like the suspicious-smelling corners of the library for example.
While Hadden may be under a time crunch during her days on campus, she still enjoys trekking through the local provincial parks with friends on the weekends and believes that “all the trees surrounding the campus encourage [her] to spend more time in nature.” And Hadden isn’t the only student who feels this way.
“I can literally feel my prefrontal cortex decompressing from the stress of work and studying,” says Pegah Fallah, a General Science student, as she sits against a fallen hemlock tree near the Maple Building, breathing in methodically. “This semester I have a 4-hour break between my second and final class, so I like to bring my bike on the bus ride to campus and explore the trails leading into the mountain sometimes.” Prior to coming to CapU, Fallah always loved the outdoors, but living in the heart of Vancouver’s concrete jungle without a car, she never really had the opportunity to simply exist in nature and explore until becoming a student at CapU.
Despite the hectic student lifestyle, these personal testimonies align well with what scientists predict; looking at trees can make you more active and enhance both your physical and mental well-being. For many students who are new to the Lower Mainland or Canada entirely, picking up their books after a long day of classes and frolicking off into the forest for a run may seem quite terrifying or odd, and could potentially prevent these students from acting on their urges to be more active. Fear not though! There are tons of clubs and activities that meet on campus with the goal of being more active that don’t require you to wander off into the spooky forests.
If you feel like connecting to other students who enjoy the outdoors, hit up the Capilano Outdoor Club