Science Say: Going to the Beach Makes You Better

Works for me, literally.

Feeling good after a day at the beach? Study proves benefits of spending time near the ocean

Did your weekend trip to the beach leave you feeling relaxed and refreshed? Well now there's science that proves exactly why you got that feeling.

A new study conducted at the University of Exeter found that there were numerous health benefits to spending time near the ocean.

As regular readers of my blog may know, visiting the beach, in all weather conditions, is an important part of our plan to save our sanity.  There's just something about a stroll down the beach with nothing much to do but look around, and maybe pick up some shells (or in our case, fossils) that restores the soul.

The study was presented last Wednesday at a science policy conference hosted by the American Geophysical Union.

I've been to a lot of AGU meetings, but I've never seen a presentation like that.  I guess I went to all the regular boring science talks.

The multi-faceted study conducted several experiments to determine whether being near a beach setting affected health.

When a person goes to the beach, 'It's not going to be any great surprise to you that people relax,' said study researcher Michael White. The more complex question was how being near the beach impacted people's health.

 Of course, one of things to watch at the beach is other people. They're not all Victoria's Secret models, as the examples I've chosen here, but a real cross section of people, at their best, relaxing, and pursuing their own dreams.  Girl watching is part, but only part, of that.

The researchers studied census data in England and found that those who lived near the coast reported better health.

While one could argue that this may have something to do with wealthier people being able to afford living on the coast, the researchers actually found that it was the lower socioeconomic communities that reported the greatest health benefits.

 I'm not surprised.  It's the lower "socioeconomic communities" (that sound such a clinical way of saying poorer people) that benefit from some relaxation.  Truly wealthy people generally enjoy their work; it's the slugs doing to the ugly stuff that needs to get done for civilization to work that need the break from the daily routine.

Just moving closer to the beach had an effect on people. The researchers found that moving closer to the sea 'significantly improves people's well being,' about as tenth as much as getting a new job.

Moving to the sea may also reduce stress and encourage physical activity, White said.

In one experiment the researchers gave study participants a set of pictures with hypothetical hotel room views, then asked how much they were willing to pay for the room.

 People have asked us, when we say we intend to retire soon (more on that later), whether we intend to move away for where we are now.  People move into our neighborhood to retire, enjoy the beach, the bay, and boat and fish.  We have that now.  We're not in a rush to leave.

Subjects had an option of an ocean view, green fields or cities. The results showed that the majority of the subjects would pay the most for the ocean view.

Especially if you have allergies to grass...

The researchers are continuing to study the health benefits of seaside living. One of their ongoing studies involves putting people in stressful situations like dental surgeries and then placing them virtually in a beach setting or dental room for comparison. Early signs show that people reported feeling less pain when immersed in the seaside setting.

One of the study's organizers, Lora Fleming, said their results could help create a form of therapy based on ocean exposure.

 I've already done that study; I was too lazy to publish the results.

Linked by Wombat-Socho in the "Rule 5 Monday: Independence Day Weekend Catch-Up Edition" at The Other McCain.