INTO

THE
BLUE
UNSPLASH/SAM WERMUT

38 | New Scientist | 16 July 2022

 Features Cover story

A day out in nature is

W
HETHER it is a bracing sea breeze, symptoms of conditions such as attention
the gentle lapping of waves or the deficit hyperactivity disorder. These findings
wonderfully good for us. glint of sunshine on a rippling haven’t been lost on authorities, with
But for the best benefits, surface, there is something deeply restorative
about being in or near water. The Victorians
governments pushing for more green spaces
in urban design and some doctors even
don’t opt for green space, knew this, prescribing sea air as a treatment prescribing time in nature for their patients.
for melancholy. So did the French, who, for But by focusing all this attention on the
head for the water, says centuries, sent people with ailments to natural power of green spaces, are we missing a trick?
Catherine de Lange springs. Now scientists are catching up. The idea that blue spaces are better than
We recognise the benefits of being out green first began to emerge about a decade
in nature more keenly than ever these days. ago, when Susana Mourato at the London
Hundreds of studies that catalogue the positive School of Economics and George Mackerron
effects are being translated into health policies at the University of Sussex, UK, published
and urban redevelopment projects that aim an innovative study. They recruited more
to nudge people into the great outdoors and, than 20,000 people across the UK to use
in doing so, alleviate many of the health a smartphone app that sent them a
burdens that accompany modern life. questionnaire about how they were feeling
But as we rush off to embrace the wilds, at random times. The participants had to
and the accompanying boost to our health submit their answers then and there.
and mental well-being, we might want to The researchers collected more than a million
stop and consider exactly where we are responses and, by looking at phone location
heading. While we are becoming increasingly data, found that people were substantially
preoccupied with spending time in green happier when they were in nature of any kind
spaces, fresh research is showing that blue compared with an urban environment, even
spaces – areas next to water – might give us after controlling for things like the day of the
even more benefits. week or the weather. But marine and coastal
The idea that nature can give us a mental areas were the happiest locations “by some
pick-me-up is nothing new. The Japanese distance”, the researchers wrote.
practice of shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing”, is an Coastal areas came out about 6 points higher
established tradition of connecting with nature on a 100-point happiness scale than urban
through all the senses. It became popular in the ones, equivalent to the difference between
1980s, after studies demonstrated its calming attending an exhibition and doing housework,
effects on both body and mind, reducing heart the researchers said. Other types of nature,
rate, stress hormones and blood pressure. including mountains, heathland and even
Epidemiological studies have since backed freshwater, scored much lower, with a
up the idea, showing that people who live happiness boost of around 2 or 3 points
in greener areas tend to have better mental compared with urban areas.
health. Until fairly recently, however, it wasn’t The benefits don’t stop with the seaside,
clear whether this was really thanks to nature either. In the past few years, more projects
Six tips for making or simply because people who are already have looked at a range of blue spaces. One
the most of nature healthier for other reasons choose to live in of these is the BlueHealth project, from a
greener areas. Mathew White at the University consortium of researchers across Europe,
TAKE YOUR TIME The health benefits of Exeter, UK, and his colleagues wanted to find including White. The team found that when
of being in nature kick in after about out, so, in 2013, they examined data on more pitted against green spaces, such as forests
2 hours a week, according to a study than 1000 people in England who moved and parks, blue spaces scored better for our
of almost 20,000 people. Longer than house. They found significant benefits to physical and mental well-being. The best
that is better still, up to a total of around mental well-being for people who relocated scenario of all, according to their results,
5 hours, after which the gains plateau. to greener urban areas. For the first time, is living somewhere where they meet.
there was direct support for the idea that White points out that when it comes to well-
MAKE IT COUNT It doesn’t matter green spaces were making people feel less blue. being, the effects of nature are a drop in the
whether time in wild spaces is taken We now have evidence that the mental boost ocean compared with big-ticket factors such as
in one go or broken up into little chunks that comes with connecting to nature goes way employment, marital satisfaction or the ability
during the week. One study found that beyond happiness and well-being. The list of to make sure your children are happy. Even so,
individual chunks should be at least other attributes that can be improved covers his research has found that living near blue
10 minutes if you do decide to spread attention, creativity, memory and more. It spaces can buffer against some of the mental-
it out over several days. can also aid sleep, help people experiencing health inequalities driven by socio-economic
continued on page 41 anxiety or depression and ameliorate some differences. Past research on green spaces >

16 July 2022 | New Scientist | 39

Doing it
for the kids
Every parent or guardian of small has sometimes been accused of focusing too captured by intriguing or important stimuli
children will have experienced the narrowly on the middle classes, but two large (an intimate conversation between a couple
desperate urge to get out of the house, studies have now shown that people with low sitting at a table behind you in a cafe, for
and the magical restorative effect incomes who live by the sea are mentally and instance), and directed or voluntary attention,
of even a short trip to the local park. physically healthier than would be expected where you actively focus on something (the
There is probably more going on given their greater exposure to major drivers of book you were trying to read before you
here than just letting off steam. decreased well-being, such as unemployment. started eavesdropping). The latter requires
The benefits for kids of getting It makes a good deal of sense that we what psychologists call top-down control,
into nature are huge, ranging from find being outdoors so revitalising if we which means that our thoughts are regulating
better academic performance to consider our deep past. In the early 1980s, our actions. In contrast, bottom-up thinking
improved mood and focus, and biologist E. O. Wilson put forward his biophilia is where sensory information is influencing
helping with attention deficit hypothesis, which says our brains are wired to our thoughts.
hyperactivity disorder. Childhood seek out a connection to nature because of the During directed attention, we need to
experience of nature can also boost environment we evolved in – which is very suppress distractions, which is mentally
environmentalism in adulthood. different to the ones most of us live in today. exhausting. This is where nature comes in.
And having access to urban green Another idea that purports to explain It is bursting with subtle, eye-catching stimuli,
spaces can play a role in children’s our love of the wild is known as attention which trigger the bottom-up, involuntary kind
social networks and friendships, restoration theory. In a nutshell, it says that of attention that gives the thinking mind
even promoting social inclusion our ability to concentrate is restored by time a break. If you have ever felt revived after
across cultures. in nature. Attention can be divided into two watching a glorious sunset or gazing at
The seaside works wonders too. types: involuntary, in which our attention is the trees swaying in the breeze, it might be
Mathew White at the University of because these sights have given the top-down
Exeter, UK, has studied children who Places where water mental processes some time off, allowing
had been expelled from school or meets green space can them to replenish.
were at risk of expulsion because be the most restorative This idea also helps explain why blue spaces
of behavioural issues, and who of all to spend time in seem to be even better for us than other types
had been enrolled on a surfing
programme. He found that as well
as getting fitter, the kids ended up
with more positive attitudes towards
school and friendships. They also had
a more positive body image, which is
especially important because, in the
early teenage years, this is one of the
strongest predictors of well-being.

“BLUE SPACES OFTEN HAVE

PATTERNS OF CHANGE
THAT YOU DON’T GET
LEVENTE BODO/GETTY IMAGES

WITH GREEN SPACES”

40 | New Scientist | 16 July 2022

 New Scientist audio
You can now listen to many articles – look for the
headphones icon in our app newscientist.com/app

continued from page 39

of nature. Blue spaces, especially the coast, development. This doesn’t necessarily
often have patterns of change that you don’t translate into a propensity for beach
get with green spaces. The tide ebbs and flows, holidays, but we certainly have a
the waves lap at the shore, the sun glints on deep-rooted evolutionary link to water.
the horizon. As well as this movement, there If you are lucky enough to live near the water,
are changes in sound, and even light, that you or are heading there for a well-earned break,
don’t experience in a park or forest. There is there are ways to maximise its potential
a soothing energy to these environmental benefits (see “Six tips for making the most of

UNSPLASH/HARRY HOLDER
shifts and they generate what scientists call nature”, page 39). White and his colleagues’
soft fascination, diverting our attention away research has shown that the strongest predictor
from more specific thoughts – possibly even of good mental health wasn’t proximity to or
the negative ruminations associated with length of time spent in nature, but people’s
depression, says White. psychological connectedness to it. So rather
Studies also find that blue spaces lead to than pina coladas on a lounger, you might
certain behaviours that don’t or can’t take MAKE A CONNECTION The advantages want to take steps to immerse yourself in the
place in green spaces: playing in the sand, of being outdoors are particularly natural world, by taking photographs, say, or
swimming, paddling and so on. Children often strong if you feel connected to nature bringing binoculars for a spot of birdwatching
say that their parents play and engage with (see main story). So find ways to or even going rock pooling (see page 48).
them more when they go to the seaside (see engage with it, whether that is by
“Doing it for the kids”, page 40). Regardless of gardening, photographing the changing
whether such a visit is with family or friends, seasons or spotting birds and wildlife. A virtual stroll
these kinds of activities seem to build strong, If you are stuck in the city, there are still
positive social experiences, and this quality WRAP UP WARM Studies show that ways you can reap the benefits of blue spaces.
time is, in turn, more beneficial for mood and the mental health benefits apply not Studies have found that simply looking at
well-being. White and his colleagues have been just in the summer, but in winter too, pictures of nature or watching natural history
studying whether exposure to blue spaces in when many of us need it most. So documentaries can emulate some of the
childhood has an effect on mental health as an keep that connection going all year. effects, increasing positivity and beating
adult, with their research soon to be published. boredom. Virtual reality has also been shown
Another possible, if more controversial, DON’T FORCE IT Research finds to be effective at mimicking the healing power
explanation for the benefits of blue spaces that people experiencing depression of nature, possibly because it triggers that
goes back much deeper into our evolutionary and anxiety feel better when they sense of connection. One study found that
past. Most evolutionary biologists think that spend time in nature – but it has to people who took a VR stroll by the beach while
humans made their departure from other be their choice. When these people they were having a tooth extraction felt less
apes on the evolutionary tree when they felt social pressure to visit nature, they pain, anxiety and stress, and also felt much
were forced out of the forest into the savannah. were less happy and more anxious happier about returning to the dentist later
But in 1960, biologist Alister Hardy argued about the outing. This means nature than those who took a virtual walk around
instead that our human ancestors moved from “prescriptions” that doctors in several a town or had no VR experience.
the forest to the shore, becoming adapted to countries dole out can sometimes With all the attention being paid to making
an aquatic habitat. This aquatic ape hypothesis backfire. So engage in nature in ways our urban spaces greener, we would do well to
can potentially explain all manner of features, that suit you and avoid pressuring think about making them bluer too. And while
from our unusually good swimming ability others into it. some doctors prescribe time in nature, perhaps
to our largely hairless bodies and even they should channel Victorian doctors and
bipedalism – the need to keep our heads QUALITY OVER QUANTITY The issue “blue prescriptions” as well. For those
above the water would have been a pretty specific qualities of green space seem of us who already relish time spent waterside,
strong driver for walking on two legs. to be more important than how big you now have a science-approved reason to
This hypothesis remains highly contentious. the space is. Two qualities in particular log off, head to the shore and enjoy the brain
But even so, says White, there is plenty of have been shown to reduce stress: benefits that come flooding in. ❚
evidence that our ancestors spent time in spaces that act as a safe refuge –
and around water. Some of the earliest human for instance, spaces enclosed by Catherine de Lange is magazine editor
settlements were also packed full of discarded vegetation – and those that really at New Scientist. This is an edited extract
seashells, suggesting our ancestors had a feel like nature. Try seeking out from her book Brain Power: Everything you
high-protein diet that may have helped brain these kinds of places. need to know for a healthy, happy brain

16 July 2022 | New Scientist | 41