Blue spaces seem to bring serenity and reduce the stress. Indeed, living by the sea and being able to observe a large expanse of water daily would improve the well-being of individuals, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Health & Place.
Researchers from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and that of Michigan State in the United States conducted a study with 450 volunteers in Wellington (New Zealand). They researched the health benefits of a blue horizon.
The scientists established the mental health of the participants with the Kessler test and assessed the frequency of certain emotional states, such as depressed mood, anxiety and more generally mood disorders.
Blue spaces reduce stress levels
The researchers found that those who lived by the water were generally less stressed than the others. On the other hand, they did not reach the same conclusion with those who lived near green spaces.
“This difference can be explained by the fact that the study did not distinguish between the different types of green spaces. While the maritime spaces in the study were all natural, some green spaces included man-made areas such as sports fields as much as primeval forests,” says Amber Pearson, health geographer at the University of Michigan.
“Perhaps looking only at natural forests we would have come to the same conclusion,” she says.
“Appropriate land use planning in densely populated areas, for example by providing sea views from high apartment buildings, could potentially ameliorate certain mental disorders such as depression“, concludes the researcher.
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