![]() ![]() Such ample exposure to water may have soothing powers for Icelanders, as it helps to dial down the “fight-or-flight” (aka sympathetic) nervous system and turn up the “rest-and-digest” (parasympathetic) nervous system in its stead. ” -Olivia McAnirlin, PhD, co-director of Clemson University's Virtual Reality & Nature Lab “Your heart rate can decrease, and you can feel less stressed. Since 1934, swimming instruction has been required in all Icelandic schools, so the practice is ingrained early, and Icelanders are known to layer swimming into their daily lives. In Iceland, every town has an outdoor public pool (of which there are more than 120), which studies show to be the most-frequented gathering places nationwide. While some of this Icelandic resilience to the harsh climate may be due to a genetic heartiness forged over generations, University of Iceland professor of folkloristics and ethnology Hafstein Valdimar Tryggvi, PhD, has widely contested that the reason Icelanders experience such high levels of well-being in light of the gloomy circumstances is their affinity for bathing in geothermally heated pools year-round. (And certainly, my mental state has been better while I’ve had easy access to the coast than it was when I lived in land-locked places.) But it wasn’t until a trip to Iceland this past spring inspired me to try immersing myself in the ocean every day that I experienced the most profound well-being effects of the blue mind. Throughout my time in Hawaii, I’ve always assumed the proximity to the shoreline would be enough for me to feel at ease-that hours spent walking or lying on the sandy beach would do the trick. And after short stints in places like New York City and Park City, it’s what also brought me back to Honolulu this year. It’s why I moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, post-graduation, where I would be surrounded by the ocean. Olivia McAnirlin, PhD, co-director of the Clemson University Virtual Reality & Nature Labīlue Mind became a bible of sorts for me in college, as it defined and explained the science behind a feeling that I’d always suspected to be true: I’m just a happier version of myself when I’m near water.Matthew Browning, PhD, co-director of the Clemson University Virtual Reality & Nature Lab.You’re calmer, more at ease, and feel more connected to yourself and others. The idea behind blue mind theory? When you’re in or around water, you enter what Nichols calls the blue mind, a mildly meditative state of peacefulness and satisfaction. Nichols calls the blue mind, a mildly meditative state of peacefulness and satisfaction. When you’re in or around water, you enter what marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols in his titular book Blue Mind (the subtitle of which says it all: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do). ![]() In fact, that’s the impetus behind “ blue mind theory,” which recently blew up on TikTok but was conceptualized in 2015 by marine biologist Wallace J. ![]() What I’d later learn is that it’s not just a “me” thing: Studies show that regular exposure to blue spaces-which encompass waterscapes and their surroundings-can boost your well-being. Though I quit before high school, something happened during all those practices that connected me to the feeling of being in or near water-so much so that I felt noticeably less at ease when I moved inland for college. Starting at the age of eight or so, I welcomed the exhaustion of competitive swimming, red-rimmed chlorine eyes becoming my norm. As a born and bred Floridian, I’ve always felt most at home around water.
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