Neuroscientists Strongly Recommend That You Visit the Beach More Often

According to a study, the beach has a positive impact on our general psychological state by minimizing the stress that accumulates during our everyday lives.

The researchers are unanimous that occasional short moments of relaxation at sea are critical to avoiding health problems that may arise due to the impact of stress, especially if we live in a city, because this stress can negatively affect our physical and mental health.

Professor J. Aaron Hipp, professor of community health who works at North Carolina State University, concluded “Beaches and waterfront parks offer more restorative benefits to people than gyms, entertainment venues and the built urban environment.”

A team of experts along with Professor Hipp, using a survey of 1,000 individuals who regularly visited the beach, came to the conclusion that walking on the beach has the most positive impact on the psychological state of people who most often experienced stress in everyday life.

Research by Professor Hipp behaved solely on sand and surfing, but for years it has been known for the positive effect of natural environments on the psychological state of the person, and this effect refers to the improvement of concentration and mood, an overall sense of improvement in our well-being, heart rate is reduced.

A study published in The Journal of Environmental Psychology suggests that so-called “Blue Spaces”, such as seashore and riversides, represent an ideal place for improvement and encouragement of mental functions and stress relief.

But the quality of the environment in which the coastal parks are located is of great importance, not all the “blue spaces” are equally important.

Hipp explained “Mild temperature days and low tides offer the most restorative environments”.

In a period when there is a high tide, the beaches have a 30 percent lower effect on improving the psychological state because then there is a greater crowd and the sand is in smaller quantities. Participants in the study indicated that if they feel poor quality of the air or water, they do not feel the beneficial effect of the environment they are in.

The societies we live in should provide access to a large selection of nature parks and areas according to the authors of this study because, as they explain, these conditions are of great importance in the “preventive mental health care” branch.