24.07.2021 – 07:15
The sea is an element of nature that many think is good for them and this has now been confirmed by science, which claims that being close to water can help our mental health in many ways.
“People want to be near the water because there is something relatively relaxing about it,” said Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist and faculty member at Columbia University. “For some, the water can go back to their childhood. Water bodies have a quality in the dream, like clouds and allow us to see different shapes and imagine unlimited possibilities. Just looking at the water allows our minds to be calm and peaceful. ”
In 2016, researchers from the United Kingdom published a study on “sedatives and the effects of nature on humans”. The researchers measured participants’ heart rate and blood pressure as they looked at different fish tanks: one empty, one partially filled with fish and plants, and the last with twice the number of animals. The study found, on average, that “visitors stayed longer in front of an exhibition when it contained the highest standard of marine life”, supporting the group’s hypothesis that “people gained more benefits from the exhibition when it was fully equipped”. Most importantly, it was also found that even looking at an empty water tank had a positive psychological effect.
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“Living near water is not good just for aesthetic reasons. “Studies show that there are many health benefits: It can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, relax, improve creativity and evoke a sense of happiness in the whole,” explains Vinay Saranga, a psychiatrist and founder of Inclusive Psychiatry. North Carolina.
Even they are not the only ones who are convinced of the seemingly magical powers of water for our mental health. BlueHealth is a pan-European organization dedicated to “systematically investigating the effects of urban waterways on health.” In the last four years alone, the organization has conducted more than 20 studies in 18 countries, including a survey of 18,000 people. Across Europe exploring population-level relationships between maritime areas and human health. Researchers have found that the more time people spend near water, the better they feel.
