Why The Ocean Calls To Us, According To Science

When you stand at the edge of water and look out on the horizon, it's visually simplified relative to the room you're sitting in right now, or a city you're walking through, where you're taking in millions of pieces of information every second.Water can induce a meditative state.

When we're by the water, our brains are held in a state of mild attentiveness -- what Nichols calls a "soft fascination." In this state, the brain is interested and engaged in the water, taking in sensory input but not distracted by an overload of it, as we might be with the "hard fascination" we experience while watching an action movie or playing a video game.

While in the restful, contemplative state associated with observing or interacting with water, it's also common to experience feelings of awe. The emotion of awe invokes feelings of a connection to something beyond oneself, a sense of the vastness of nature and an attempt to make sense of the experience.

That switches you from a 'me' orientation to a 'we' orientation.

In our always-busy, screen-saturated lives, we don't give our minds much of a chance to rest and wander freely. But when we do, the mind switches into a different mode of engagement, known as the default mode network -- the brain network associated with daydreaming, imagination, consolidation of memories, self-referential thought, insight and introspection. 

We know that water -- being surrounded by blue space -- helps us relax, and we know that exercise is good for our bodies and our brains.

"If somebody is experiencing a number of problems that exercise and stress reduction may help with, [water] is a good add-on. Find a river trail and run there, or get on a bike, or row or swim."

Spotify link

Exercise: Click on the above link...Sit back straight and let my music teleport you to the ocean.

I want you to use the power of your imagination right now and imagine the waves, the blue ocean...and observe the emotions the connection that you feel with the waves.🌊