Childhood days on the beach or messing around in rivers can have significant lasting benefits for our wellbeing (幸福) in adulthood， according to a study. It found that exposure to blue spaces-such as coasts, rivers and lakes-as a child made revisiting blue spaces in adulthood more likely, as these adults showed greater familiarity with and placed greater value on natural settings.
More than 15,000 participants in 18 different countries were surveyed for the study, published in the Journal of Envirommental Psychology. "Water settings can be dangerous for children, and parents are right to be watchful," said Dr Leanne Martin, co-author of the study. "The research, though, suggests that encouraging children to feel comfortable in these settings and developing skills such as swimming at an early age can have previously unrecognized life-long benefits."
There has been a growing body of research over the last ten years about the specific beneficial effects of blue spaces on mental health. A review published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health suggested visits to blue spaces could increase people's physical activity levels and lower stress, while improving their mood and psychological wellbeing. Another review published by the Environment Agency, found that blue spaces were linked to the improvement of mood and feelings of restoration to a greater degree than green spaces.
The study's lead author Valeria Vitale said, "We recognise that both green and blue spaces have a positive impact on people's mental and physical health. Also, previous studies examining childhood nature exposure and adulthood outcomes have largely focused on green spaces, or natural spaces in general. However, as we highlighted in our paper, blue spaces have unique sensory qualities (感官特质)(light reflection，wave motion，sounds，etc)and encourage a distinct range of leisure activities (swimming, fishing, water sports)."
Another co-author Dr Mathew White added: "If our findings are supported by long-term research that tracks people's exposure over the entire life course, it would suggest that further work, strategies and plans encouraging more blue space experiences during childhood may be a viable way to support the mental health of future generations."
