sign up for the planet forward newsletter for more stories<\/a>\n\t<\/section><\/div>\n\n\nfor fans of swift, the last year and a half have been nothing short of overwhelming. the singer-songwriter released two surprise albums in 2020 and began releasing her re-recorded albums, with \u201cred\u201d slated to release this november. sister albums \u201cfolklore\u201d and \u201cevermore\u201d expanded swift\u2019s impact beyond the pop music charts and have now piqued the interest of an entirely new group: conservation scientists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
these scientists are interested in the impact that swift\u2019s use of nature-based language has had on environmental empathy. it could be the first domino to fall in a series of events that leads to resolving many ecological issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cpop culture is part of how we see and know things,\u201d said jeff opperman, the global lead freshwater scientist for the world wildlife fund and author of the new york times article \u2018taylor swift is singing us back to nature.\u2019 \u201cwe need artists like taylor swift beginning to integrate [nature] into their lyrics. it\u2019s not going to solve [climate change] on its own by any means, but it\u2019s a brick in rebuilding that bridge between us and nature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
opperman\u2019s interest in swift\u2019s lyrics began when he decided to listen to the album \u201cfolklore\u201d at the recommendation of several peers. he first noticed that all of the short videos for the album on spotify were of swift observing nature. slowly, he realized how often swift wove natural imagery into the lyrics of her songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cshe\u2019s in a meadow, she\u2019s in a forest, she\u2019s walking along a lake\u2026 it often takes a while for the lyrics to kind of sink in. you don\u2019t really hear all the words, and then you start listening, and it\u2019s like, \u2018oh! she keeps referencing parks and trees and creeks and lakes and all this stuff,\u2019\u201d opperman observed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
opperman began figuring out just how many more nature-themed words swift used compared to other pop artists. he compared the lyrics of the 32 songs on \u201cfolklore\u201d and \u201cevermore\u201d to the first 32 songs on spotify\u2019s today\u2019s top hits playlist and found that she uses nature-based language seven times as frequently as the other pop songs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
opperman\u2019s analysis shows that swift\u2019s use of nature-related words is highly uncommon in modern music. a 2017 study published by the association for psychological science titled \u201ca growing disconnection from nature is evident in cultural products\u201d found that the use of nature-related words in song lyrics declined by 63% from the 1950s to the first decade of the 21st century. their analysis of nature-related words in english works of fiction and film storylines found similar results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cit’s an indication that the culture doesn’t pay attention to nature or the most beautiful aspects of nature as much\u2026 if you value something, you would probably think more about it, talk about it more,\u201d said selin kesebir. kesebir is an associate professor of organizational behavior at the london business school and the lead scientist on the study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
the researchers found that as one encounters nature more frequently, it is more likely that they would include nature-related concepts in cultural creations. when they do not spend time in nature, they will not likely include a reference to it in a song, poem, or film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cthe creative process requires creators to access elements of conceptual knowledge stored in their minds and to combine these elements (ward & kitayama, 2010). this means that nature-related concepts can make their way into cultural products if they are stored in the minds of cultural creators and are cognitively accessible to them,\u201d the study stated. \u201cconversely, if creators have limited encounters with nature or if these encounters do not register with them, nature is less likely to feature in their work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kesebir and her team found that urbanization and technological change are likely reasons for the declining interest in nature. technology has become a replacement for the joy, recreation, and entertainment that nature once provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the researchers also believe that these findings are of concern due to the strong evidence that documents the positive effects of contact with nature and because \u201ccultural products not only reflect the prevailing culture, they also shape it.\u201d this belief means that as people lose physical contact with nature and do not hear or see it in cultural products, such as songs and movies, it creates a negative feedback loop that diminishes interest in nature altogether. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cif you don’t have these cultural role models, then you are less likely to enact that on your own… if you observed other people doing that, then you will be more likely to do that on your own,\u201d said kesebir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
kesebir, a ph.d. in social psychology, believes that swift\u2019s impact on redeveloping this connection to nature could be significant, especially because she is this role model to so many people. she believes that swift has far more reach than authors like ralph waldo emerson, who wrote about nature in the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201ci think it\u2019s this key sort of on-ramp to becoming an active conservationist. that first step is like, \u2018oh, the woods are pretty. taylor swift liked it; maybe i should go outside, take some pictures.\u2019 i think that’s definitely a key first step on that continuum. at sustain, we like to just take that to the next step further and link it to a call to action,\u201d said betsy mortensen, the ceo and co-founder of sustain. this non-profit organization partners environmental organizations with the music industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
sustain holds song-writing retreats that bring people into national parks to connect with nature and form an emotional connection to public lands. sustain also has a program called trail sessions, which pairs outdoor concerts with guided educational hikes at public lands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c70% of people that attend trail sessions have never visited our featured locations before, which kind of stunned me. so it is like a big part of the reason that people are coming out to these is because of the music component that they’re attracted to, like, \u2018oh, i know this band, this sounds cool. i feel comfortable going to this place that i’ve never been because the band is there,\u2019\u201d said mortensen, who has a master\u2019s degree in environment, society, and development. \u201c95% of people intend to return to these places on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
however, mortensen and sustain co-founder, harrison goodale, said that swift\u2019s nature-related lyrics are just the first step in inspiring people to connect to the outdoors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201ci think that there is significance if the artists were able to promote the conservation efforts in terms of explaining why they’re choosing to do nature, rather than just be like, \u2018oh, this is an aesthetic,\u2019\u201d said goodale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
goodale has a degree in music education and is a musician himself. he believes that albums like swift\u2019s should do more than just use nature as an aesthetic. instead of just explaining why she likes trees, goodale thinks that a call to action that explains the importance of these trees could do a lot to preserve them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
both opperman and kesebir also believe that swift\u2019s music on its own will not solve issues like climate change. still, swift may unintentionally disband this negative feedback loop by creating cultural products that increase interest in nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
however, cross is an example of a fan of swift\u2019s who has found herself caring more about nature due to the lyrics in \u201cfolklore\u201d and \u201cevermore.\u201d on top of spending more time with her chickens to pose them for photos, cross has connected with specific lyrics that have drawn her closer to nature. one of the bonus tracks on the \u201cfolklore\u201d album is titled \u201cthe lakes,\u201d which includes vivid imagery in the lyrics. an example of these lyrics is, \u201ci want auroras and sad prose \/\/ i want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet.\u201d this song, in particular, led to cross paying more attention to her environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201ci would say i paid more attention to lakes, which is so weird because obviously, lakes are pretty big here in vermont; we have a ton of them. i never really loved looking at them, but i never noticed how beautiful they were with the mountains behind them, and now i always feel like in my head i can really take me to the lakes, and i want to go there and spend more time there,\u201d cross said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
although there is no empirical evidence that swift\u2019s music has led to more people becoming conservationists, anecdotes like cross\u2019 prove that it is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cthere is this cultural deficit, and if the biggest pop star in the world does this, well, that\u2019s at least a start in repairing the cultural deficit,\u201d opperman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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