The unexpected benefits of water on mental health

2023-10-12 16:00:41

We now know with certainty that being connected with nature, large natural spaces has a positive impact on mental health. But not all natural spaces are necessarily equal. And the water seems to stand out…

What is blue therapy?

Spending time near water to take care of your mental health is, in short, the concept of blue therapy. A good reason to plan your next seaside vacation? Not only because if the ocean and the sea are ideal for treating yourself to blue therapy, this also applies to any natural or even artificial body of water! Rivers, lakes but also fountains, ornamental ponds or even water points in a park…

What are the benefits of water for mental health?

Le BlueHealth Project¹ – who was interested in the links between blue spaces and human well-being – notably observed that bodies of water were even more conducive to physical and mental well-being than green spaces! The studies carried out during this project made it possible to establish that people living closer to the coast have better general and mental health !

• Reduce anxiety and stress

Facing the immensity of the sea (but it also works with a lake), we often feel completely peaceful. A feeling favored by the fact that our brain is not bombarded with visual and auditory information… which will allow the mind to relax and reduce stress. And it’s a bit the same thing when we indulge in an aquatic activity: concentrated, entirely captivated, we tend to give it our all… to the point of forgetting our worries and silencing all parasitic thoughts.

• Improve well-being and mood

Walking 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week by the water is much more beneficial than practicing the same activity in town or not going out at all.² ! At stake ? A clear improvement in well-being and mood following participants walked near a blue space compared to walking around the city or resting in the premises, explains study coordinator Prof. Mark Nieuwenhuijsen in question.

Contemplating nature, and even more so blue spaces, would allow us toincrease positivity and fight once morest boredom³.

Ideally, theResearchers recommend spending at least two hours per week in contact with water sources to benefit from the benefits of water. But unfortunately, We don’t all have the opportunity to spend our evenings on the beach or spend our weekend relaxing around a lake. Far from it. Fortunately, there are solutions:

• Admire the fountains and canalsa few minutes, allows you to benefit from the positive effects of blue therapy,
• Play a water sport (swimming, surfing, etc.) involving immersing oneself in water, and which requires concentration, will provide the sensation of calm and gentle fascination felt when one penough time near water,
• Watch nature footage or documentaries natural history helps imitate some of the beneficial effects of blue therapy and helps in particular to reduce feelings of sadness and boredom³.

Why do bodies of water improve mental health?

The benefits of water are numerous, but it can be difficult to explain them. Obviously, scientists have put forward several hypotheses on the subject:

• “gentle fascination”,

With its gentle movement, the water creates plays of light, color and sound, in rhythm the water creates this which scientists call “gentle fascination”. A phenomenon that will pause the brain and divert its attention from its ruminations and worries – or even depressive thoughts.

We often feel a slightly strange feeling when faced with the immensity of the sea, the ocean or even a body of water. Being confronted with a body of water often encourages us to take a step back, some distance, from these everyday problems and torments… and this is necessarily beneficial for our mental health.

• The feeling of rest, incomparable

It’s simple, nowhere else than in water can you feel this special sensation when your body floats. The physical sensation felt when you are immersed in water is ultra-relaxing…

1. The BlueHealth Project – Linking Blue Spaces with Human Well-being, University of Exeter.

2. Physical and mental health effects of repeated short walks in a blue space environment : A randomised crossover study. Vert, C., et al., Environmental Research, 2020.

3. What is the best way of delivering virtual nature for improving mood ?: An experimental comparison of high definition TV, 360º video, and computer generated virtual reality. Yeo, N.L., et al., Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2020: p. 101500.

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