RESEARCH
Fractals: the hidden beauty and potential therapeutic effect of the natural world Lucy Loveday GP; Associate Research Fellow University of Exeter; Training Programme Director, Torbay; Regional Director, The British Society of Lifestyle Medicine
Most people know about fractals; even if they don’t know how they come about, they perceive there is something special about them. Yet it was only recently that mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot’s simple equation first generated these shapes. He recalled that though this emergent geometry had not been seen before, it looked curiously familiar. In fact many natural forms – trees, clouds, rivers and mountains – have a fractal geometry. Some computer-generated fractals, perhaps because of their ‘natural’ appearance, have a positive aesthetic appeal. These shapes have been classified as ‘biophilic fractals’.
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I live on Dartmoor with my young family and I am married to a physicist. This combination lends itself perfectly to a predilection for the natural world! While intuitively I know that being in nature makes me feel better, I am becoming increasingly interested in the scientific evidence base that supports this sentiment and the potential to apply this in a therapeutic context. I have always appreciated the intricate beauty that exists in nature and often pause to stare at tiny seashells when walking along the beach. Recently, I have been asking myself why exactly this pastime confers such a sense of calm? Is there any science behind these natural fractals? Curious to learn more, I have started to explore this subject further. In our increasingly technology-dependent world, I believe we have an innate need to reconnect with nature and experience for ourselves the benefits this can have on our health and wellbeing.
In 1975, polish-born maverick mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot discovered the fractal (Mandelbrot, 1982). A fractal object features a repetitive pattern, recurring on a progressively finer scale to create shapes of enormous complexity. Fractals can be found in abundance in nature and examples include pine cones, romanesco broccoli, trees, sea shells, ferns, peacock feathers, pineapples and clouds. The D-value assigned to a fractal is an important parameter to be aware of. It is used to denote a fractal pattern’s visual complexity. The D-value lies between 1 and 2. The closer the D value is to 2, the higher the extent to which the fine structure features in the fractal mix of repetitious patterns, resulting in a shape full of intricacy and detail. To the contrary, fractals with lower D-value reflect a smaller content of fine structure resulting in shapes that are more smooth and sparse in appearance (Taylor and Sprott, 2008).
Background In 1981, Ulrich (1981) examined how scenes of nature influenced brain
activity and stress physiology. He found that viewing scenes of nature (featuring water and vegetation) was associated with higher alpha wave amplitudes, which has been identified as indicative of a wakefully relaxed state (Laufs et al, 2003). Higher alpha wave activity is also associated with increased serotonin production, a chemical and neurotransmitter that operates within the nervous system, believed to play a role in regulation of mood.
D-value and the neurophysiological response to fractals As well as being aesthetically pleasing, fractals have the capacity to lower stress, by affecting human physiology. This body of pioneering research has largely emerged over the past 15 years. Taylor et al (2005) have demonstrated that experiencing midrange D-value fractals has the potential to positively affect human stress levels by favourably altering human neurophysiology. In collaboration with neuroscientists and psychologists,
© Journal of holistic healthcare ● Volume 16 Issue 1 Spring 2019
