Research Says Being Near Water Makes You Happier
A person’s surroundings can have a huge impact on their general mood. For instance, there is a lot of evidence that suggests that being near water makes people happier. This is nothing new by this point in time, but this isn’t as well-known as it should be. Knowing something to be the case isn’t the same as knowing either the cause or the causes behind it. As such, more research needs to be carried out before interested individuals can be sure on this particular issue. However, there are a number of potential explanations that have been offered up so far:
Better Sleep
It is very common for people to play sounds of the ocean as well as other things associated with water when they want to sleep. As it turns out, there is a reason for that. Simply put, it is easier for people to sleep when they are near water, though the exact reason for this remains unclear at this point in time. As for why this is so important, well, suffice that say that a good night’s sleep can be considered one of the cornerstones of human well-being. After all, it provides a very wide range of both physical and mental benefits. One excellent example would be how sleep provides the body with a chance to repair the damage done by stress, UV radiation, and other sources of harm, while another excellent example would be how sleep strengthens the immune system to make it more capable of fending off infections. Similarly, sleep makes people more alert throughout the daytime, thus making them that much better for handling intellectual challenges. Something that is particularly true when combined with its ability to enhance memorization. Besides this, it should also be remembered that sleep is what provides people with the energy that they need to get through their day-to-day tasks.
More Exercise
Moving on, people who live near water tend to be more physically-active than other people. Like sleep, exercise provides people with a wide range of both physical and mental benefits, which are more than enough to make it one more cornerstone of human health. Still, it can be useful to name some examples. For starters, exercise helps people maintain an optimal weight. Something that is very important because being overweight sends people’s chances for getting heart disease as well as a number of other serious medical problems to shoot up. Meanwhile, exercise has been shown to put people in a better mood as well as a state of superior mental functioning. Moreover, it can help people improve their emotional health as well, not least because it tends to improve their sense of self-confidence.
Healthier Environment
Generally speaking, places that are situated close to water tend to be cleaner places as well. In turn, this makes for better health because humans tend not to fare so well when exposed to large amounts of pollution. Otherwise, it is worth mentioning that such locations tend to have more sunlight as well, which is also important for human health. For proof, look no further than the fact that people who spend too long without exposure to sunlight can wind up becoming depressed. Something that is very common in snow-prone countries.
Blue Mind
Having said that, what is most curious is what some people have called blue mind. In short, bodies of water have a beneficial effect on a person’s psychological state, meaning that it helps to induce a positive mood as well as relieve stress as well as other mental issues. What is particularly interesting is that this blue mind can happen with bodies of water of any size. Yes, bigger bodies of water produce a stronger effect. However, even something as simple as a fountain can be efficacious, thus opening up a wide range of possibilities for interested individuals. No one knows what this is the case. Perhaps this is because bodies of water make it difficult for people to ruminate over the sources of their stress; perhaps bodies of water serve as some kind of reassurance for old instincts that are fearful of running out of life-giving water. Whatever the case, blue mind is very real, which is why people might want to capitalize upon it.
What Can You Do About This?
The most straightforward way to capitalize upon the benefits of living near water would be to move somewhere situated closer to a suitable body of water. However, this is far from being the simplest way. In part, this is because moving is a huge inconvenience in its own right, which isn’t even counting the need to make the other changes needed for such a significant change. Moreover, it should be remembered that there are a lot of other people who want to live close to the water as well, meaning that such locations tend to come with a higher price tag because of it. Of course, interested individuals might consider going to less pleasing bodies of water, but that has some serious issues associated with it. In particular, just because most people can benefit from most bodies of water, that doesn’t mean that most people can benefit from every body of water out there. For instance, most people apparently don’t find swamps to be very beneficial, which is a real shame when they actually play a very important role in nature.
In any case, the more practical option might be putting some kind of water feature on the property. Generally speaking, people like to do so in their backyard, not least because they tend to have a fair amount of space that can be dedicated to such uses. Admittedly, installing a water feature can be rather laborious and time-consuming in its own right, but it will still be much better in this regard than relocating. Besides that, it might be worthwhile to consider installing some kind of water feature inside the home as well, which can be particularly useful for people living in places where the weather can make outdoor features inaccessible in certain times of the year. Something like an aquarium might be exactly what they are looking for.
