There’s Proof! Boating Makes You Happier
As boaters we all know that being on the water makes us feel good, but now there’s proof! Recent research proves that boating resets our brain, is meditative, awe-inspiring, promotes play and creativity and appeals to our senses.
It’s called the Blue Mind and, according to Dr. Wallace Nichols, it is the anecdote to Red Mind, which is characterized by stress, anxiety and fear.
Dr. Nichols is a Ph. D., marine biologist and author of Blue Mind, the bestselling book on the scientific connection between water and happiness. His research confirms that the sight of water promotes wellness by lowering cortisol, increasing serotonin and inducing relaxation, which we all know as that amazing feeling of being on the water!
“I have done a tremendous amount of research on the benefits of being near, in, on, or under water,” said Dr. Nichols. “The best place to begin is by first considering the negative stressors that go away when we step aboard a boat – the traffic noise, televisions, the office, computers – they all fade away. The boat is the greatest technology ever invented to access and explore a vast world of ‘Blue Mind’ benefits and escape the ‘Red Mind’ mode of an anxious and distracted life on land—although its application is understudied and under-prescribed.”
Discover Boating Canada dove into Dr. Nichols research to drive home the health benefits of boating – check out Your Brain on A Boat to learn more.
We’re not scientific experts but the team at Boating BC knows a lot about boating, and we’re happy to prescribe more time on the water. Keep those Blue Mind’s strong and healthy!
