It’s a sweet, sweet life, living by the salty sea.”
– Zac Brown Band
We all know beach vacations can be fun and relaxing, but did you know that a trip to the ocean can also have health benefits?
A study in the journal Nature found that being near natural bodies of water like lakes, rivers and oceans, can have positive effects on well-being and mental health.
Using survey data collected from over 16,000 people living across 18 countries, the study showed that people who lived in greener/coastal areas reported higher positive well-being. Furthermore, those who made more frequent visits to both inland- and coastal- blue spaces – like lakes, rivers and oceans – reported more positive well-being and lower rates of mental distress, even controlling for the number of green space (ie.parks) visits in the past four weeks. And what’s even more interesting is that the positive impact on well-being held true even when visiting inland and coastal waters in winter months, suggesting that the benefits of blue spaces on mental health is not dependent on warmer temperatures.
Beach+Ocean+Multiple Visits = #BetterMentalHealth? As if you needed another reason to go to the beach this summer, right?
Ciao!
Jennifer
