Why Being Near Water Could Be the Key to Happiness According to Research

According to the author and marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols, living near water can help you promote your level of happiness, satisfaction with life and mental health. It could be any water body, such as sea, river, lake or ocean. He wrote everything in his book, Blue Mind.

Much has been romanticized in movies and television series about the beautiful images and lifestyle living by the sea and the happiness associated with it, but is there any truth in this?

According to marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols, living near a large body of water, be it a river, the sea or a lake, improves our happiness level and mental health.

The author points out that we enter a state of meditation just by being near, in or under water. It is the perfect antidote for the super connected life we ​​lead today.

Water helps raise the level of happiness because it "lowers levels of stress and anxiety, and increases the sense of well-being and happiness. In addition, it slows the heart rate and breathing, increases safety and improves exercise performance. Therapists now seek to work with water to treat addictions, anxiety disorders, autism and other things”, says Nichols.

For this reason, we are probably willing to pay more for a room with an ocean view, or a house near a lake. Being near the water also increases people's creativity and conversation skills, and helps us sleep better.

Even if you’re in a reverie about travelling around the world visiting gorgeous islands with warm sand and crystal blue water, it can give you a sense of calm and serenity. Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise you that sitting next to a pristine body of water really has some pretty fantastic wellness benefits.

As Nichols pointed out, research demonstrates his theory that being close to water can help us all achieve "high and sustained happiness."

"There is some research that says people can sleep better when they are adjacent to nature," said W. Christopher Winter, MD, author of The Sleep Solution. "It is not surprising that sleeping machines always have the sounds of rain, ocean or a flowing river."