Why a Day at the Beach Is Great for Your Health

• People who live by the coast report higher levels of well-being than those who don’t.
• Coastal areas provide opportunities for people to exercise and de-stress.
• Being in nature clears your mind.

Here’s one more reason to love the beach: Research shows that living near the coast is good for your health. An analysis of British census data suggests that people who live by the coast are in better mental and physical health than those who live farther inland.

The idea for this research was inspired by a U.K.-based research project called the Blue Gym. Since 2009, the program has explored the idea that proximity to a natural water environment has a positive impact on a person’s health and well-being.

“If you’re on holiday, you go to the beach and people feel good — it’s kind of commonsense research,” says study author Ben Wheeler, a senior research fellow at the University of Exeter Medical School, “but actually, we don’t understand it very well.” The goal of the census analysis was to review data about a large population to gauge mental and physical benefits of living near coastal environments.

Researchers mapped out the population in more than 30,000 areas across England. They noted individuals’ proximity to the coast and how they rated their health status — from “good” to “fairly good” to “not good” — in the past year. The researchers also took into account other factors, including age, sex and how wealthy the residents were.

“It sounds very simplistic,” Wheeler says, “but actually [the results were] incredibly powerful and predictive of better health at the coast, and you can certainly relate that to various measurable mental health outcomes.”

The most surprising result, according to Wheeler, was that those in poor urban areas seemed to derive the greatest benefit from living close to the coast. “That was exciting, to see a good impact for the people who need it most,” he says.

Oceans soothe stress

Of course, England has plentiful coastline, with the Irish and Celtic seas to the west, the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. So, what is the power of proximity to have a positive effect on mental health? “We’re not entirely sure yet,” Wheeler says. And there’s more research to be done. But it’s likely, he says, that it has to do with stress reduction and possible increased physical activity at the beach.

Much of the research, Wheeler says, points to the fact that when people visit coastal environments, they are walking (often with dogs) or watching the waves. “Very few coastal visits in the U.K. involve people in the water. This is not about hard-core surfers.”

Other research also indicates that being near the coast is good for your mental and physical health. A March 2016 study, published in the Journal of Coastal Zone Management, reported that people who live in homes with ocean views feel calmer than those without them. The same can be true for summer beach vacations. Other research shows that even just visiting the ocean can reduce stress. In June 2011 the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health in Germany examined existing research and published a report that linked landscapes containing water to psychological benefits, even if time spent near water is temporary.

Too much work or overstimulation can deplete our cognitive capabilities, Wheeler explains. “Stress recovery” activities like walking and biking in nature — things that are easy to do on the coast — can restore those abilities. “Physical activities are very good for mental health, just like they are for physical health,” he says.

“Being in nature allows you to relax, de-stress, unfocus the mind,” says Daniel Cox, an ecologist and a research fellow at the University of Exeter. His study, published in January 2017 by the journal BioScience, explored the positive impact of neighborhood nature like birds, shrubs and trees on the mental health of people who lived in the area. It seems the coast has a similar effect.

Wheeler believes that the benefits of living near the coast are all about opportunities to “recharge the battery” and “wipe down” the everyday stresses of life. Another reason being close to the ocean may help the mind and body is related to the benefits of social contact. The beach, especially for families, tends to be a place for bonding.