Calming and health benefits of looking at water

If you spend time relaxing on a beach, fishing, out on the water in a boat, or doing anything near water, you no doubt feel the powerful calming effects of water.

Science explains why we feel more relaxed by looking at water on a biological level. Seeing or hearing the soothing sounds of moving water triggers a response in our brains that induces a flood of neurochemicals. These chemicals increase blood flow to the brain and heart, which induces relaxation.

Marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols wrote a book on the subject of water and its healing powers. It’s called Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do.

In the book, Wallace explains that looking at or being near water can provide a wide range of health benefits. These benefits include reducing stress and anxiety, increasing happiness, lowering our heart rate, and other things that extend beyond just feeling calmer.

He calls this the “blue mind” effect and says it’s a response we have when seeing water. His book explores many reasons why water has this effect on us.

A lot of our behaviors and reactions come from our DNA. This includes how our brains react to seeing water. Wallace says this traces back to how our ancestors behaved thousands of years ago.

Our ancestors were often on the move and in need of finding water as a matter of life and death. For generations, they focused on finding new water sources. When they did so, it triggered a calming response in their brains, something we carry with us to this day.

Water is important for our survival. It covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, our bodies consist of almost 70% water, and water makes up more than 70% of two of our most vital organs (our brains and hearts).

Wallace says this is the reason why the sight or sound of water triggers the release of relaxing neurochemicals for most people. Logically, there is a deep biological connection between our brains and the sight of water due to our dependence on it as a source of life.

For me, every time I feel a bit anxious, I go to nature, but in some occasions, when I’m really in distress, I need to go and find a body of water to regulate my nervous system. Learning that is something that my DNA carries, makes sense now.

Does water calms you?

Source:https://www.gr8ness.com/why-does-looking-at-water-relax-us/