According to a recent study, staying in contact with nature for about two hours each week can have a great impact on our physical and mental well-being. While the benefits offered by spending time in green spaces have long been established, time spent near blue spaces may actually boost health more efficiently.
What Is Blue Therapy?
Blue Therapy refers to the practice of spending time in front of a water body. The breeze, coupled with a view of the ocean, the sound of waves, and gentle water movements can have a profound effect on the mood. The blue color symbolizes calmness and soothing, gently putting the mind at ease.
Meanwhile, the purified air offers mental peace and stability thanks to the presence of microalgae. According to sources, the air along the seaside is often charged with negative ions. These negative ions offer a great advantage as they elevate the serotonin levels in the body and thus have a positive impact on mood.
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Study Observations
According to researchers working on the Blue Health Project, a study on the health benefits of environments near water. People who live near a major body of water within 1km are often in better physical and mental health.
“You can look at the ocean or water as a normalizing background. In a natural environment on or near water, there’s a high degree of predictability. Unlike a busy street, a body of water is largely the same from moment to moment. The background we see is fairly controlled, which allows the emotional centre of the brain to relax. Likewise, if and when the brain notices a change in the background such as a wave or sea life there is a sense of novelty accompanied by a hit of dopamine.”
The study suggests that simply the sounds of nature, such as the gentle ebb and flow of water, lower stress. Further adding that walking along a pond improves well-being and mood. These effects can be noticed almost immediately in contrast to walking in an urban setting or simply resting.
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However, access to the seaside and water bodies is not practical in certain instances. Researchers suggest that for those who don’t have the time or the means to go to the seaside, watching a film or a documentary about the marine environment could have a kind of placebo effect.
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