We don’t talk about them as much, but blue spaces can have an equally beneficial impact on our health and wellbeing as green spaces. In fact, the science has been consistently putting forward for more than a decade that being by water is good for body and mind.

We all know green spaces and their well-documented healing effects. Doctors around the world have been issuing ‘green prescriptions’, encouraging patients to spend time in green spaces for their mental health and there is a wealth of research showing how green spaces benefit physical and psychological wellbeing and promote healthy social engagement.

However, the benefits of blue spaces, their water counterpart, are not so widely publicised.

Why?

While lots of studies have looked at how green spaces affect our wellbeing, not many have separated green and blue spaces, often treating the latter as part of natural environments like parks. However, many researchers say blue spaces are distinct and should be considered separately.

In addition to this, past research has mostly focused on the negative aspects of blue spaces, including the increased risk of flooding and the risks to human health posed by microbes and harmful chemicals that can be found in blue spaces.

However more recent studies have shown that blue spaces also have a range of positive effects. For example, they've also been linked to lower mortality rates, and some research has found that people near blue spaces tend to be physically healthier and have better mental health.

Blue spaces and blue health

Blue spaces are natural or man-made environments that prominently feature water, such as oceans, estuaries, lakes, rivers, ponds, and even urban water features like fountains, dams, and canals.

There is increasing evidence that blue spaces, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing, also possess a remarkable capacity to enhance health and wellbeing.

The connection between water environments and positive health outcomes has spurred the development of a theory known as blue health, the idea that being near or on water is good for physical and mental health. The concept emerged in 2013 when researchers at the University of Sussex asked 20,000 people to record their feelings at random times. They collected over a million responses and found that people were by far the happiest when they were in blue spaces.

Benefits of blue spaces

The soothing effects of blue spaces have been recognised throughout history. Ancient cultures, including the Greeks and Romans, valued the therapeutic properties of bathing in mineral-rich or sea waters and therapies such as thalassotherapy (involves the therapeutic use of seawater – bathing or swimming, spending time near the sea, taking supplements that contain substances from the sea, etc.) date back to the 19th century.

A 2020 study investigated the effect of aquatic therapy in a seawater pool in 62 people who had experienced a stroke. The results indicated that the combination of aquatic therapy and thalassotherapy undertaken in a

Mediterranean climate may improve:

• Pain.
• Balance.
• Mobility.
• Certain aspects of a person’s quality of life.

Contemporary scientific investigations have allowed us to delve deeper into the reasons behind these age-old beliefs. Recently, a systematic review and meta-analysis from Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) found that spending time in blue spaces lowers the risk of stress, anxiety, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and premature death.

Let’s have a closer look at some of those benefits.

Enhanced physical activity

Blue spaces have been found to promote a higher volume and intensity of physical activity as well as a lower probability of inactivity.

They encourage activity that builds fitness, improves cardiovascular health, and aids in weight management. The collateral benefit of physical exercise is not only vital for maintaining physical health but also plays a critical role in alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Restoration

One of the most prominent benefits of blue spaces is their ability to reduce stress and induce a sense of calm. There are broadly two kinds of human attention: directed, the intense concentration we might use when driving a car, and non-directed, the involuntary attention we might give to distant noises or passing clouds. The sound of water can gently stimulate this non-directed attention, allowing our minds to rest.

The rush of river currents and the sound of waves washing ashore fall into the category of ‘pink noise’. Like white noise, pink noise is made up of all the sound frequencies audible to the human ear, but with less volume at the higher frequencies. It has been found to aid sleep and improve memory.

In addition, the presence of water often leads to lower heart rates, decreased cortisol levels, and greater feelings of relaxation.

The research from GCU also linked time spent in blue space to a reduction in body mass index (BMI), which can be derived from the enhanced physical activity mentioned above, and a lower risk of mortality.

Interestingly, overall reported positive effects of blue spaces also include attention restoration, mental clarity, self-reported appearance and weight satisfaction, life satisfaction and encounters of daily happy moments.

Social interaction

A research paper [De Bell et al.] found that blue space exposure was associated with increased time with family or friends.

The review and meta-analysis from GCU found evidence that increasing contact with blue space, decreasing distance between dwellings/neighbourhoods, and increasing the amount of blue space within a geographical area could improve neighbourhood perception and social interaction, but this may depend on the scale of each blue space setting. For example, increasing a river’s length in a neighbourhood was found to be associated with lower cohesion and attachment indices. A greater amount of blue space within a geographical area was also found to decrease neighbourly interaction.

Positive effects of blue space exposure have been found on social interaction, as closer proximity to blue space increased the neighbouring, cohesion and attachment indices of the study’s population. Other markers of social interaction, such as sense of community, neighbourhood attachment, community participation and social cohesion, were also found to benefit from blue space.

Environmental factors

In most cases, the existence of bodies of water in a specific geographic region has a favorable impact on various environmental aspects. This includes a reduction in heat stress, lower surface temperatures, an enhanced perception of ecological quality in the area, and an improvement in air quality, primarily by reducing PM2.5 levels.

In addition to offering significant cultural ecosystem services, these water features can also serve as habitats for diverse wildlife, contribute to flood mitigation, and provide advantages related to climate change, such as carbon sequestration.

Interestingly, a recent English study [Alcock et al., 2020] with over 24,000 participants found that living near the coast (<5 km vs. >20 km) was associated with higher likelihoods of several pro-environmental behaviours including recycling, buying local/seasonal produce, walking/cycling instead of using a car for short journeys, and being a member of an environmental organisation. Crucially, the connections observed were not only dependent on the participants' frequency of visits to natural settings, like the coast, but also hinged on their sense of being interconnected with the natural environment. Residing near the coast was linked to a heightened psychological bond with the natural world, which, in turn, correlated with a greater inclination toward pro-environmental behaviours.

Lastly, even though blue spaces are linked to increased UV exposure (remember to slip, slop, slap, seek and slide!), they can also stimulate increased vitamin D synthesis which is associated with a reduced risk of certain auto-immune and cardiovascular diseases.

As our communities become increasingly urbanised, blue spaces can offer a much-needed respite from the demands and stresses of modern living. It is important to recognise the value of these environments in promoting human health and mental wellbeing. For city planners and policymakers, integrating blue spaces into urban design and ensuring public access to these areas is a key consideration for improving overall quality of life.

Sources:  https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/49376/1/Mourato_Happiness_greater_natural_2013.pdf; https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/how-blue-spaces-have-the-power-to-improve-your-mental-health-20220329-p5a91a.html; https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/03/blue-space-living-near-water-good-secret-of-happiness; https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20221108-the-doctors-prescribing-blue-therapy; https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-health; https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0193723520950549; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204617301391?via%3Dihub ; https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0084544; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935120310665#bib2.