The ambiguity of biophilia: it promotes personal authenticity but enhances distress / La ambigüedad de la biofilia: fomenta la autenticidad personal, pero incrementa el distrés.

This article investigates the role of biophilic attitudes—defined as an encompassing love and respect for life—in maintaining psychological well-being, specifically personal authenticity and distress prevention, among Russian-speaking urban residents. Using a newly adapted Biophilic Attitudes Inventory—Russia (BAI-Rus) with five subscales (Naturalism, Dominionism, Ecologism, Curiosity, and Security), the study found that biophilia positively relates to personal authenticity but unexpectedly also correlates with increased distress (depression, anxiety, and stress). Environmental identity, conceptualized as a person's integrated sense of belonging to nature, did not moderate these relationships. The findings suggest that biophilia is not a universal factor for psychological well-being, particularly in urban populations with limited nature interaction, and highlight the need for cautious application of biophilic design in mental health and urban planning contexts.