Researchers Explain How Living Near The Sea Can Improve Your Mental Health
by Arjun Walia
Collective Evolution
A number of studies have emerged in recent years which demonstrate how spending time in nature benefits our health, and the observation seems to be surprising to many people, even though being outside and surrounded by nature is (or was) our first and most natural environment. We don’t really need science to show us this, as many can simply feel it from personal experience or intuition, but it’s still nice to have that knowledge confirmed scientifically.
Now, new research published in Health & Place has found that living in a residence with a view of the ocean is associated with improved mental health. The study looked at the visibility of green and blue spaces for residents in Wellington, New Zealand. Green spaces were forests, parks, and other similar areas, while blue spaces were defined as water regions like oceans and rivers. Researchers used topography data and compared it with information that assessed anxiety and mood disorders which had been gathered from the New Zealand Health Survey.
The researchers (from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and Michigan State University) also took into account people’s income, age, and sex, and eventually found a positive correlation between people who had a view of the ocean and positive mental health.
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Every Day is Earth Day
Source: http://www.riseearth.com/2016/05/researchers-explain-how-living-near-sea.html
