It’s 3 p.m. and I am lying on my belly in the powder-soft sand on East Runton beach in Norfolk, England. A few steps away lie the rock pools—clusters of stone slick with neon-green seaweed, translucent shrimp darting between oily bladder wrack and ice-clear water reflecting the sun. Beyond that is the main event: the big blue sea, which is making great crunching sounds as the waves stretch and yawn. Later, I submerge myself, the water lukewarm and aqua-colored, salt and magnesium clinging to my skin. Wait, maybe this is how I should be living, I think dozily, just like every other Londoner as soon as they experience the good life for a fraction of a second. Maybe I’ve been getting it all wrong?
It’s no secret that the sea—being in it, by it, near it—has long been considered beneficial for our overall health. There’s a reason that, in the 18th century, before things like SSRIs and therapy, women suffering from “hysteria”, a catch-all phrase for “feeling bad”, would be sent to coastal locales as a remedy. And we also just know anecdotally, don’t we? After my recent weekend by the sea, I felt happier and healthier than I had done in months. My cortisol levels lowered, my skin cleared up, and I actually caught up on sleep without bolting awake at 7 a.m. with an unspecific feeling of unease. But why is the sea so healthy for us? And what does it say about how we should be living?
The mental health benefits of being by water are well-documented. One extensive 2013 study on the effects of nature on happiness found that those living on the coast, or near bodies of water, otherwise known as “blue spaces”, were the happiest of all. Another 2016 study found that living near blue spaces lowered psychological distress. A more recent 2019 study found that, among low-earning households, those living in close proximity to the coast experienced better mental health than those who didn’t. In fact, every study on the subject has pointed to the idea that even just seeing water—that brilliant blue, spread out and glistening—can make us feel less stressed. Sometimes even less stressed than green spaces—forests, etc—alone.
The actual why is a little more complicated and multi-layered. One 2013 study found that the sound of waves relaxed people more than soothing music, so perhaps that is what’s having an effect. On the flip-side, the World Health Organization cites traffic noise such as road, rail and air traffic as the second most important cause of ill health in western Europe behind air pollution. So it would make sense that the reverse—the absence of traffic noise—would have a favorable impact. And let’s not forget that something as simple as fresh air, naturally high in oxygen and in abundance by the sea, has long been linked to better mental health more generally.
When I speak to Dr. Mathew White, a social psychologist researching the relationship between natural environments and health, he tells me that one thing we need to consider is how we spend our time by the water—it’s often a community activity, and one in which we’re present with those we love. “Our evidence suggests the coast is a place where people often go to spend quality time with friends and family,” he says, adding that, “when we interviewed children they said [that] parents are more likely to play with them at the beach instead of, say, looking at their iPhones on park benches. These positive interactions are good for the whole family’s health.”
But what of the benefits of actually being in the water? Yes, I felt less stressed by the coast, but it was more than that—my body felt physically better during and after full submergence. Again, there are plenty of reasons that might lie behind this. We know, for example, that cold water swimming has a variety of health benefits. According to what Nathan Curran, MD, the longevity practitioner at London’s Galen Clinic, told Vogue last year, cold water can reduce inflammation, improve metabolic health, reduce heart disease risk and improve thyroid function. One study undertaken by scientists in Prague back in 2000 even found that cold water immersion can boost dopamine levels by 530%. Yes, 530%.
And then there are the benefits of the sea specifically. When I was 15, I spent one long summer swimming in Sardinia (which is, incidentally, one of the world’s five “blue zones”), with my friend’s family. Apart from having to nick cigarettes off locals and the sheer amount of stray cats, the one thing I remember most vividly about the trip was how quickly my teenage acne cleared up. This makes sense when we consider the organic composition of the sea, which is rich in minerals like salt, magnesium, zinc, and potassium—all proven to play a vital role in maintaining skin health, alongside an array of wider health benefits.
I also just think that if, like me, you spend a lot of time crouched over a desk beneath an artificial light, any exercise is good exercise. And swimming, which famously engages all major muscle groups, is surely one of the best. “Moving our bodies increases our cardiovascular fitness, releases mood-enhancing endorphins and helps with muscle building and bone density improvement,” wrote Dr. Catherine Kelly, author of Blue Spaces: How and Why Water Can Make You Feel, on a recent Blue Planet Society blog. Hardly surprising: after swimming last weekend, I collapsed on the sand afterwards, exhausted, half-snoozing by the cliff beneath an errant kestrel.
I love the idea that we’re supposed to be around water, and that’s why blue spaces are so good for us. It’s worth remembering that, though cities have existed for millennia, it’s only over the past couple of centuries that the majority of humans began living in urban areas (a reality that is only accelerating). In essence, then, our bodies have evolved to live in rural environments, like grassland and, yes, by the sea. Call me a romantic, but maybe our predilection for blue space is actually a deep calling, of sorts. “Up to 70% of our human body is water, just as the earth is made up of roughly 70% water,” wrote Dr. Kelly. “It is therefore a natural homeostasis habitat for us to occupy.”