The gloomy weather rubs off on your morale… How about going for a walk by the sea to perk up? Thanks to the negative ions diffused by the breaking waves, you should feel a feeling of well-being. These negative ions have the ability to put in a good mood by triggering the secretion of endorphins and serotonin, pleasure hormones. These electrically charged particles, concentrated near oceans, waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, also have the ability to boost the circulation of blood and oxygen in the body.
Good humor: the sea more than the countryside
The impact of these negative ions on good mood could explain the findings of a recent british study. Researchers from the European Center for Environment and Human Health, in Cornwall, England, have confirmed the many benefits of sea air on physical and emotional health. Unsurprisingly, they found that a stroll in a natural environment such as the seaside is more profitable than a stroll in an urban park. More interestingly, they have shown that the marine coast is the natural environment most conducive to providing a feeling of general well-being (joy, serenity, rest).
To come to this conclusion, the researchers sifted through the data collected over two years from 2,750 Englishmen familiar with walks in parks, in the countryside and on the coast. They took into account the age of the people questioned, their travels (distant or not), walks in groups, and their hobbies.
Okay, but if we don’t live near the sea, what do we do? Some devices called air ionizers are commercially available and offer to sanitize and purify the ambient air by reducing allergens. But if they are able to filter the ambient air, there is no evidence that they also filter your mood.
Otherwise there are safer tips to regain your inner well-being and good humor such as yoga, the breathing, a good sleep, physical exercise, …
>> To read also: Optimism: 4 secrets to be positive
>> To read also: Bad weather: 8 anti-depression reflexes
