Definition of BIOPHILIA

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The term "biophilia" was popularized by psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in the 1960s. In his work, he used the word (from bio-, meaning "life," and -philia, meaning "friendly feeling toward") to describe the biological drive toward self-preservation. In the late 1970s, American biologist Edward O. Wilson extended the word's meaning, seeing it as the perfect word for "the rich, natural pleasure that comes from being surrounded by living organisms." Recently, "biophilia" has been in the news as the title of Icelandic singer Björk's latest project, a multimedia production that (according to the website for the Manchester International Festival) "celebrates how sound works in nature, exploring the infinite expanse of the universe, from planetary systems to atomic structure."

Examples of biophilia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While the concept of biophilia is debatable, the effects of the phenomenon are not; researchers noted that simply staring at an image of natural scenery for 40 seconds was enough to trigger the brain into a more relaxed state. — NBC News, "Why natural scenery improves your mood and makes you more productive," 2 Apr. 2018 One of the most popular of these is called the biophilia hypothesis, which argues that humans have an innate desire to seek connections with nature. — Ben Tobin, USA TODAY, "Desk, swivel chair, trees: Why companies are moving the office outdoors," 28 June 2018 The Evidence One of the most recent studies, from the Journal of Environmental Psychology, noted a phenomenon that may stem from biophilia — human beings’ natural desire to be connected with nature. — NBC News, "Why natural scenery improves your mood and makes you more productive," 2 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'biophilia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.