Your Brain on a Boat

Recent research has confirmed what many boaters already know – you experience emotional, behavioral and psychological benefits being near, in, on or under water, and while participating in activities like boating.

One of the leading researchers on the health benefits of the water is Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, marine biologist and author of Blue Mind, the bestselling book on the scientific connection between water and happiness. Working with Discover Boating, Dr. Nichols has begun to explore the wellness benefits associated with boating.

We now know, thanks to science, that the mere sight and sound of water promotes wellness by lowering cortisol, increasing serotonin and inducing relaxation.

Red Mind, Blue Mind 

“Red Mind” is a state of mind described as an “edgy high, characterized by stress, anxiety and fear.” While stressors such as money and work influence people, there are new stressors associated with urbanization and a constant tether to technology that offer little respite from the demands of today’s world. An antidote to “Red Mind” is “Blue Mind”—a mildly meditative state characterized by calm, peacefulness, unity, and a sense of general happiness associated with the water.

Blue Mind and Boating 

Boating triggers a restful, “Blue Mind” state of mind. It provides the means to get outside of daily routines, allowing our brains to reset. Being on a boat promotes physiological and psychological changes spanning health and wellness, awe and wonder, creativity and play, happiness and relaxation.