Why does the sound of the sea soothe us?
Does the sound of the sea reawaken ancient neural maps formed in our brain – from when we relied on the sea for food and safety?
Or does the sound transport us back to the womb?
Is it the ocean’s rhythm and tone?
Or the effect that it has on our brain and nervous system?
Well, it’s probably all of those, and more.
Which is of course why the sound of the sea plays such an important part in the Sea Circle, our monthly subscription for sea souls and ocean hearts…
How the sound of the sea can change your mood
In Wallace J Nichols’ brilliant book Blue Mind, he quotes Petr Janata, a cognitive neuroscientist from the University of California.
Janata says that sound “…affects our brain and influences our emotions. If I ask you to close your eyes and turn on a recording of the ocean, I can change your mood immediately.”
It’s a statement that rings very true to me. On a wet walk with some very grumpy children this afternoon, I stopped to listen closely to the sea. It had been quite the effort to get everyone out of the house into the rain. There had been a lot of angry protests (shouting), and whining (unpleasant high pitched sounds…).
So it’s no surprise that I was feeling increasingly irritated. (My “scientific” evidence for that was the fact that I wanted to have a good swear, and was only just about holding that in…!).
It was becoming harder to speak calmly, and to stay patient and connected to my compassion. Luckily, we live close to the sea. And I knew that once I got us all out of the house, and near the water, everything would improve…
As I stood there, listening to the sound of the sea, my body and mind begin to relax. In between the soothing whoosh of the waves rolling in, I began to appreciate those delicious pauses of anticipation.
I noticed the clinking rumble of the pebbles turning in the water. Every time the wave returned to the sea, it turned the pebbles, and sent a shiver of pleasure up my spine.
Five minutes later, I stepped away from the sea. I was able to find the grounding and patience I needed to return to my family. I was no longer in ‘fight or flight’ mode – ready to shout back, or stomp off in a huff. I was much closer to the kind of parent I want to be – a mother who is able to stay calm when those around me can’t.
From ‘red mind’ to ‘ blue mind’
Five minutes spent listening to the sea helped me shift from ‘red mind’ (which neuroscientist Caterine Franssen defines as an “edgy high, characterised by stress, anxiety, fear, and maybe even a little bit of anger and despair”) to ‘blue’ (the calm mental state described by Wallace J Nichols that we experience in and around water).
And as my brain relaxed, my parasympathetic nervous system came into play, with all the physical and mental wellbeing benefits that brings. My nervous system was able to take that time to rest, replenish and heal.
How the sound of the sea can make you more compassionate
While my body was relaxing into ‘rest’ mode, the sound of the sea was also having a transformative impact on my brain. It was helping me to feel more connected to others – like my grumpy kids.
In Blue Mind, Wallace J Nichols interviews Shelley Batts, a Harvard Medical School Senior Research Fellow who specialises in the effects of sound. Batts says…
“In the brain, the medial prefrontal cortex is associated with linking sensory input (like sound) to subjective cognitive experience, emotional response, and self-reflection… It’s the same brain region responsible for feelings of compassion and connection. So it’s very possible that pleasant sounds become linked easily to feelings of positive emotion and connection to other humans and our environment.”
How the sound of the sea returns us to the womb
Shelley Batts goes on to say that pleasant sounds have been shown to relax us, improve our mood, and enhance our concentration. That includes the sound of the regular wave patterns, harmonic pitch and low volume of the sea.
It’s possible that this sense of connection also comes from the time when we were most physically connected to another human – our mother. Because Batts also says:
“We spend our first nine months underwater, hearing sound through water in the womb… We hear the whooshing of our mother’s heart, her breath going in and out, the gurgle of her digestion…
These fluid, rhythmic sounds are very much like the ocean. Perhaps that’s why the ocean often brings up feelings of relaxation and tranquility.”
Primal reasons that the sound of the sea can soothe us
Wallace J Nichols writes that “The sound of water evokes some of the same sensations as a meditation, and studies by Japanese researchers show that the sound of a creek in the forest produces changes in blood flow in the brain that indicate relaxation.”
He also points out that the sound of water has been used by millions to help aid sleep, and cites evidence that the sound of the sea can be remarkably effective in helping fearful patients to calm down.
But why is that?
The earliest recordings of human life in Europe and Africa were often found in ancient riverine valleys. Because in the earliest stages of our evolution, lakes, rivers and seas were a vital source of food and resources.
These were places that we felt safe. Where we were likely to be able to access what we needed to stay alive (and no, my beloved kids, that isn’t TikTok…). Where we could rest, and sleep.
Evolution means that when we feel safe now, we release neurochemicals that make us feel better. It doesn’t matter that we’re no longer living in an ancient valley by a river, or camped out by the sea. When we hear the sounds of water, we associate these with those safe places where we had all that we needed to survive. Where we could rest.
One of my favourite parts of Blue Mind, is when Nichols quotes Michael Stocker, the author of Hear Where We Are: Sound, Ecology and Sense of Place, who says “the sound of water means life.”
The sound of the sea in The Sea Circle
All of this explains why I always include recordings of the sound of the sea in the selection of monthly treats I share in the Sea Circle. That’s our monthly subscription for sea souls and ocean hearts. It’s designed to calm, soothe and encourage you, using the many ‘blue mind’ gifts of the sea.
Amongst all the other gifts I share each month, I send out a new audio recording of the sounds of the sea. I also use the sound of the sea as the background of our monthly Sea Soul Meditations. It helps you to feel safe, to move from red mind to blue.
And as the sound of the sea prompts your busy mind to slow, you’re more able to absorb my words. So when I gently encourage you to find more compassion for yourself, and to listen to the wisdom of the ocean, you’re more likely to do that too.
If you need the sound of the sea in your life, come join us in the Sea Circle. Find out more over here.