Why We’re So Drawn To The Ocean
There may be a few exceptions to this theory (and I’d love to hear from you if that’s you), but MOST people agree that immersing yourself in Nature feeds your soul. The experience may soothe or pacify you, energize or refresh you, but generally speaking it’s a positive, spirit-cleansing experience. Being drawn to the ocean is no exception.
Everybody’s got their favorite scenery they love to immerse themselves in and connect with. The one that feeds your soul, the one that makes you forget about anything that isn’t HERE or NOW. My personal heroin is the sea. It gives me an intoxicating feeling of arriving home that It brings me to my knees that I’ll never fully understand. That mesmerizing soundtrack, the buoyancy, those scents that seem to trigger something deeply ingrained in my DNA. Wow, I just felt a shift in my being just by imagining being on a beach!
What Part of Nature are You?
We’ve got Mountain People who are enamored by the stillness and silence of those behemoth pinnacles frozen in time.
There are Rolling Pasture People, who say there’s nothing like the sweet smell of Green (if you know, you know), fertile soil, and the eye candy of brilliantly colored blooms.
River People are hypnotized and stimulated by the eternal sounds of rushing water that take them (literally or figuratively) flowing along on a meditative journey.
Then there’s Forest People – The Japanese art of Forest Bathing, or shinrin-yoku, is very much a thing for a reason, right?
Ocean Lovers = Thalassophiles
And then you have Ocean People like me. Thalassophiles (thalasso = sea and phile = lover). Whether it’s the calm lapping of an inlet whose glass surface reflects the sorbet colors of the sky or the rhythmic cycle of calm-and-explosion of breakers on the shore, oceans work their magic on people. There’s no question about it.
Maybe it’s because we all began our human journey in such an environment. Maybe it’s because water makes up most of our physical composition. Up to 60% of our mass is water.
The Study of Water and Why it Makes us Happy
There’s a term called Blue Mind, which looks at the impact of water on the human condition and our mental health. It’s the study of water and why it makes us happy. Marine Biologist Wallace J. Nichols coined this term. He’s also written a best-selling book and given a Ted Talk about the subject.
Scientific studies back the benefits of a Blue Mind and support our hunches that being near blue spaces of water positively affects us both cognitively and physically. Basically what they say is that people that live or spend a lot of time near a shore have increased physical health and mental well-being.
Nichols writes that even hearing or seeing water – like listening to the trickling sounds of a fountain, looking at photos of the sea, or taking a shower – can replicate these therapeutic effects. It is conducive to meditating, and tuning into a mindful state where creativity can flow.
You can read a detailed account by Nichols where he describes his findings here: Why Our Brains Love The Ocean – Science Explains What Draws Humans To The Sea. According to his website, he also offers Blue Mind summits, retreats, and consultations.
The Many Benefits of Getting In the Water
But for some mega Thalassophiles, going one step further and interacting with the ocean is where it’s at. And there’s enough scientific evidence that supports what we already suspected to be true – that being in and under the water is Über good for your mental health.
You don’t have to be a lap swimmer to benefit from playing in the water. Just moving your body around in water creates resistance, which causes the release of endorphins and serotonin. These hormones create a sense of well-being, and a generally happy mood, and can help your mind cope with stress.
Immersing yourself under the sea brings a sense of calm (okay, for some people it does the opposite, but I’m saving that topic for another story). Some scuba divers report feeling so peaceful like they are dreaming awake, as they float along underwater currents surrounded by fabulous fauna living out their day-to-day.
Many snorkelers confide that they experience the same soothing calmness and zen-like trance.
Aquarium Gazing Improves Attention Spans and Moods
Amazingly enough, you don’t even have to get in the ocean to receive the same health benefits that underwater environments provide. Landlocked ocean junkies can get their fix by gazing at fish aquariums, which has proven positive benefits for mental health.
A fascinating study found that people who viewed aquariums (first filled with just water, and then later filled with fish) experienced noticeable decreases in blood pressure and heart rates. As they added more and more fish to the tanks–not just more abundance but also more biodiversity–people’s attention spans increased and their moods improved.
The more biodiversity that was introduced to the tanks over time, the happier the subjects got. Dr. White added: “The first thing to notice is that people relaxed, even watching an empty tank, and the benefits increased as we introduced more fish over … a four-week period.”
Dr. White (Researcher)
Dip Your Face in Cold Water For an Oxygen Boost
If you do opt for a swim, you’ll benefit from that as well. You’ll exercise your diaphragm and your lungs, and you’ll regulate your breathing pattern. Proteeti Sinha over at Swimming World Magazine Online notes that the inhaling and exhaling evenly that we engage in while swimming helps with relaxation. Not just that, but a study by Kjeld et al found that just by putting your face in cold water, you enhance blood flow to your brain. Which, of course, increases the brain’s oxygen supply.
Ocean bathers that take advantage of their buoyancy in salty water feel like they enter a meditative and trance-like state. Many people feel rested after some time floating and bobbing in gentle seawater.
Thalassotherapy Reduces Pain And Increases Quality of Life
Thalassotherapy is a kind of therapy that involves bathing in seawater, spending time by the sea, taking supplements, or applying products that contain substances from the sea onto your skin. A study concluded that thalassotherapy can reduce pain, increase balance, and mobility, and can increase one’s quality of life (Morer, et al).
Biophilia (bio = life and philia = love) is a term that is defined as “the innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living things.
I wonder if space visits will be accessible to laypeople in the future, and what kind of a phenomenon space-walkers will experience. I imagine experiencing the conflicting feeling of insignificance and unworthiness coupled with the life-altering sensation of absolute freedom that tends to follow that realization.
Maybe we’ll visit Astrotherapy spas and experience zero-gravity in a pitch-black room to relax and enter a meditative state. Oh wait, that’s essentially what a sensory-deprivation tank is. Water wins again!
Drawn to the ocean and need to feed your soul? What are you waiting for Go stare at a fish tank, listen to a babbling brook, jump in the shower, or visit an aquarium. Or just quit your day job, get a camper van, and road trip out to the coast. Just remember to invite me along!