DUBAI: Researches are further exploring whether living near a “blue space,” – a lake or the sea – can reduce stress and promote mental health.
This, following a study done a few years back in Wellington, New Zealand which suggested that “higher levels of blue space visibility were associated with lower psychological distress,” according to an abstract of the research published in ScienceDirect, a website providing subscription-based access to a large database of scientific and medical research.
The study was co-authored by Michigan State University’s (MSU) Amber L. Pearson, and was reportedly the “first to find a link between health and the visibility of water.”
“Increased views of blue space is significantly associated with lower levels of psychological distress,” an MSU media advisory quoted Pearson as saying.
Pearson is assistant professor of health geography and a member of MSU’s Water Science Network. “However, we did not find that with green space,” the scientist added.
Pearson explained that such calming effect may not be available in green space possibly because “the blue space was all natural, while the green space included human-made areas, such as sports fields and playgrounds, as well as natural areas such as native forests.” Pearson said. ”
