Why is it that images of the sea make us feel better? Can looking at a picture or a film of the sea really make a difference to how we feel?
It might not feel quite as good as standing on the shore – tasting the salt on our skin, and feeling the sand between our toes…
But research shows that looking at an image of the sea can bring us many of the same wellbeing benefits of being in and around water.
It can reduce our anxiety and pain, and soothe our nervous system.
It can take us back to positive memories, and shift our minds into a meditative state.
So take a minute to soak up this morning’s photos of the sunrise – and notice how you feel. You might like to watch this little reel I made exploring why we’re calmer by the sea – and then come back here.
In a minute, I’ll share some of the science behind why looking at images of the sea makes us feel better. But first, let me tell you a very unscientific story…
Images of the sea make us feel better on nightmare journeys
A few years ago, I was travelling back from a retreat in America to the UK. Due to a plane shortage, my budget flight was changed to a different airport four hours away, with very little notice. Luckily, some of my fellow retreat-goers were able to drop me at the new airport on their way back home across the US.
As I waved them off from outside the little land-locked airport, several hours early for my flight, I felt lucky. Grateful that a stressful travel disruption had become an opportunity to spend a little more time with some amazing women. And grateful for a few quiet hours to spend reading in the tiny cafe at the airport, waiting for my flight to be announced.
Unfortunately, when I finally presented myself at the check-in desk a few hours later – so relaxed that I’d waited for everyone else to queue first – I discovered that my travel agents had made a mistake. I had no seat on this flight. I was alone in an airport in the middle of nowhere. I knew no-one within driving distance. And I had no way of getting home.
Sweating and shaking, I spent a frantic hour trying to talk to travel agents on the other side of the world before my phone battery ran out. Eventually, the agents managed to get me a booking on the flight that was about to leave. But by the time I finally set foot on the plane, I was shattered. And even more nervous about flying than usual…
As I dragged myself up the stairs onto the plane, I was dreading the discomfort of the flight. I thought I’d never sleep because my mind and body was still on high alert. But as soon as I stepped onto the plane, something shifted. As I walked along the aisle, my attention was immediately drawn to the screens up on the walls – and on the back of each chair. Every single screen was showing films of the sea. It was like discovering a dear friend was booked into the seat beside me.
In just a few moments spent sitting watching those films of the sea, my anxiety had reduced dramatically. I felt less exhausted, more optimistic, and I had found my way back to gratitude. I was on my way home. I had spare seats either side of me. And a screen on the seat in front of me (which I’m pretty sure I would have had to pay extra for on my budget flight…). I was surrounded by attentive air hosts and hostesses smiling megawatt smiles and offering me snacks. But above all, I had the sea.
I even managed to sleep upright – which is something I usually fail at completely.
Research shows that even white noise is apparently considered less annoying when it’s accompanied by a picture of a waterfall. So showing images of the sea to distract passengers from aircraft noise is a pretty smart move.
And adding images of the sea to your home and workspaces might just change how you respond to other environmental stresses – like passing traffic or irritating electrical hums…
Images of nature are good – but images of the sea make us feel better
So what is it about water in particular?
In his book, Blue Mind, Wallace J Nichols describes an experiment conducted by researchers at the European Centre for Environment and Human Health. It demonstrated that when we see an environment with water in it, we like it more. It doesn’t matter whether that’s the sea, a river, or a fountain in a city square: if there’s water, we feel better.
The researchers showed the experiment participants a selection of images. These all showed different kinds of environments – some natural, some urban. Some of these included water, and some didn’t.
The researchers discovered that the participants responded most positively to scenes of nature. Most popular were those images of environments that contained a lot of water and some ‘green’ nature elements. But most amazing of all – even the urban scenes that included water in some way had a more positive impact on their emotions.
Nichols writes: “The research showed that both natural and built scenes containing water were rated more positively – with higher preferences, more positive emotions, and greater perceived restorativeness.” We feel more positive and restored when we look at an image of water.
So why do we associate the sight of water with positive emotions?
Some neurosurgeons believe that the colour blue arouses our brain in a similar way to dopamine, prompting feelings of euphoria and joy.
Perhaps we feel good because our brains have evolved to associate an environment that includes a water source like the sea with moments of rest, sanctuary and sustenance. And as a result, the sight of water evokes those evolutionary memories. Sparking our most ancient neural pathways, it causes our brains to release neurochemicals that make us feel better.
Images of the sea make us feel better because they bring back precious memories
Some of the positive memories that water evokes within us may be even more recent than our earliest evolution…
When you visit a popular holiday hotspot like St Ives in Cornwall, you’ll find galleries brimming with artworks inspired by the sea. It’s not just because the light in St Ives is a famous draw for artists. It’s because people want to revisit how they felt by the sea on holiday. We want to take that feeling back home with us.
Nichols says “People fall in love with the light, the coast, and the ocean… Sometimes they buy a painting so they can take some of that feeling back with them to put on a wall, to look again and again at the colours and the light…” We’re drawn to artworks that transport us to the sea – that anchor us back in its presence and remind us of how we’ve felt there.
Personally, I love watching films of the sun rising over the sea, or standing before a vast painting of a wild sea. I love images that remind me of being by the water. Those that make me feel a similar sense of awe and a deeper connection to the natural world. How about you?
My husband’s preference is definitely watching surf videos. Probably because he loves to be reminded of his own favourite feeling: being in the barrel of a wave…
Images of the sea make us feel better because they give our brains a rest
Watching videos of the sea can also create a space for our brains to rest (though maybe not when we’re imagining the adrenalin of an epic surf…).
Nichols describes a research project by Sands Research. They analysed the brain responses of 45 women as they watched films that included clips of ocean environments. As you probably expect by now, the images of water “evoked both positive emotions and sustained attention in the minds of the focus group”.
But there was something more – the cognitive engagement (the brain being active and busy) of the women was significantly lower when they were watching the water videos. Nichols writes that “the ocean images were a kind of “mental rest period” for the focus group – similar to the ways that many people experience a greater sense of rest and renewal when they are near water.”
You don’t have to get into a cold sea to be chilled out by the ocean…
Images of the sea “meditate us”
If you’ve spent any time with me here at Sea Soul Blessings, you’ll know that my morning sea swim is one of the most precious and peaceful moments in my day. It’s where my brain empties of all the other nonsense. Instead of anxieties, self criticism, or chatter about my to do lists, it’s just me – present – delighting in the moment as it unfolds. For me, it’s a form of moving meditation.
In part, it feels meditative because the movement of water is immersive, and constantly shifting. French philosopher Gaston Bachelard describes this kind of attention in Blue Mind: “In the motion of the water, we see patterns that never exactly repeat themselves yet have a restful similarity to them. Our eyes are drawn to the combination of novelty and repetition, the necessary criteria for the restfulness of “involuntary attention”.
The sea is both familiar and ever-changing. We can bring our mindful attention to it just as we might bring our attention to our own breath. Here, we can be calm and present, without activating our stressful ‘fight or flight’ responses. As Nichols’ writes “you don’t need to meditate to take advantage of its healing effects because it meditates you.”
Best of all (especially for those of us who can’t get to the sea every day), as Nichols says, “Getting a visual Blue Mind boost doesn’t require a visit to the shore.” You don’t need to get into the sea to experience this ‘moving meditation’. You don’t even need to be on the beach. You can simply watch images of the sea, and your mind and body will gently shift you to a more meditative state.
Even better, you can combine watching images with listening to the sounds of the sea, which also have a powerful impact on our wellbeing. To find out more about those, read my other blog post on this topic.
Images of the sea make us feel better when we’re in pain, anxious or stressed
Images of the sea can also help us when we’re actively struggling. In Blue Mind, Nichols shares several studies that demonstrate how images of the sea can have a transformative impact on people experiencing pain, anxiety and stress. He explains “Even indirect exposure to water has recuperative power. Views of nature – whether through windows or in artworks – have been shown to help hospital patients feel better and recover faster.”
We know that getting out into nature can make us feel better – but here’s another experiment that demonstrates that even an image of nature can have a powerful impact on how we feel. Patients recovering from heart surgery had one of three scenes displayed at the foot of their hospital beds. Some patients were given a scene of an enclosed forest. Others, a view of open water. The final third had either an abstract design or a plain white panel. The patients with the nature scenes felt less pain, and needed less pain medication. But there was also another interesting finding: those who viewed the image of open water had significantly lower anxiety levels than those who viewed the forest.
A similar study took place in California in 1997, where a researcher showed 10 cancer patients who were experiencing chronic pain a nature video that included fifteen minutes of the sounds of oceans waves, waterfalls, and splashing creeks. After viewing the video, the patients experienced a 20 to 30 % reduction in stress hormones.
Images of the sea make us feel better in The Sea Circle
All of this research – and of course, my own experience – explains why the sea is at the heart of The Sea Circle, our monthly subscription for sea souls and ocean hearts. This is a monthly collection of gifts and resources designed to improve our wellbeing by connecting us more deeply to the ocean.
The subscribers taking part last year recorded feeling calmer, and more able to be kind to themselves. They reported that they felt more connected to the sea and nature, and able to make time for self reflection.
That’s because the Sea Circle uses all the ‘blue mind’ benefits of the sea to make us feel better. Participants receive email love letters brimming with ocean photographs – and beautiful postcard prints by mail that feature evocative images of the sea. I create little sets of screensavers that transform phones into “a visual Blue Mind boost” that shifts our focus from scrolling to mindful presence. Each month, I also share films of the sea, and guided Sea Soul Meditations that capture the motion, patterns and sound of the water. These are simple tools that ease listeners and viewrs into that powerful meditative state without effort.
The research shows that every time you bring your attention to an image of the sea, you’re encouraging your brain to release those positive neurochemicals that boost your mood. The more you see the sea over the course of each month, the more opportunities you have to reduce pain, stress, and anxiety – and to rest and replenish. The more tools and resources you have to move your mental state from agitated “red mind” to calm, creative “blue mind”. The more able you are to boost your wellbeing and feel more positive about the year as it unfolds.
If you like the sound of that, I’d love you to join us – find out more over here.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little swim through the research and my own experiences. And that it gives you some fascinating evidence to explain why looking at photographs, films and artworks of the sea can both cheer us up and calm us down.
If you liked this, you might also like this blog post about the wellbeing effect of sea sounds: The Sound of the Sea.