“The Sea air and Sea Bathing together were nearly infallible, one or the other of them being a match for every Disorder…”– Jane Austen, Sanditon, pp.329-30

For years, doctors prescribed “sea air and sea bathing” as a prescription for health. Just ask Jane Austen. But perhaps those early-19th century doctors – for all their quack remedies – were actually on to something. In light of new research, should modern practitioners start doing the same?

An article in The Guardian notes how “green spaces” have long been recognized for their “proven positive impacts on physical and mental health,” and advocates have used research to push for more parks in inner cities and open wilderness spaces. But “blue spaces,” whether the sea, the coast, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, even public fountains, may be even better, research shows. Although less well known to the public, “The science has been consistent for at least a decade: being by water is good for body and mind.”

Marine environments bring a host of benefits to physical and mental health: “Proximity to water – especially the sea – is associated with many positive measures of physical and mental wellbeing, from higher levels of vitamin D to better social relations.”

Dr. Matthew White, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter, notes an extremely thorough 2013 study on happiness in natural environments. 20,000 smartphone users were asked to record their sense of wellbeing and their immediate environment at random intervals. Surprisingly, happiness in aquatic and coastline environments ranked highest – by quite a lot, approximately six points higher than urban settings.

Living near the coast (within 1km or 0.6 miles) has clearly been associated with better physical and mental health, but significantly, merely visiting is key. “We find people who visit the coast, for example, at least twice weekly tend to experience better general and mental health,” says Dr Lewis Elliott, also of the University of Exeter. Even a view of the ocean is beneficial.

Spending time at the coast is good for you in three key ways. First, bright sunlight and fresh air is generally healthier than polluted urban environments. Second, people at the coast tend to be more physically active – walking dogs, cycling, swimming, etc. which elevates mood.

However, “third – and this is where blue space seems to have an edge over other natural environments – water has a psychologically restorative effect.” According to White, spending time in marine or aquatic environments “has consistently been shown to lead to significantly higher benefits, in inducing positive mood and reducing negative mood and stress, than green space does.”

Water works wonders. A 2010 study showed that in urban settings “even a fountain may do.” Designed environments including water were as positive as green space alone, which has implications for urban planners. White and the other researchers believe “that the associated soundscape and the quality of light on water might be enough to have a restorative effect.”

All this research suggests simply being near water has a positive impact on mental health. If you’re feeling stressed, take advantage of what you’ve got. And if possible, get to the shore.

Catherine Kelly, who experienced the sea’s healing power firsthand after the death of her mother, now researches its therapeutic effects.  She notes its particular meditative quality.

“To go to the sea is synonymous with letting go,” she says. “It could be lying on a beach or somebody handing you a cocktail. For somebody else, it could be a wild, empty coast. But there is this really human sense of: ‘Oh, look, there’s the sea’ – and the shoulders drop.”

Read the full article here.

Hunt, Elle. “Blue spaces: why time spent near water is the secret to happiness.” The Guardian, 03 Nov 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/03/blue-space-living-near-water-good-secret-of-happiness.

Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash