(Graphic: Conservation Magazine)
- Oliver Sacks in Blue Mind
Some of this research is quite preliminary, some exploratory and speculative, other studies have remarkably small sample sizes, and much of it is interdisciplanary but as we begin to connect the dots a compelling and practical narrative about our personal, emotional relationship with water emerges. We call it Blue Mind.
Please feel free to email us with edits or additional resources for this growing list.
Caddick, N, B Smith, and C Phoenix. In Press. Male combat veterans’ narratives of PTSD, masculinity, and health. Sociology of Health & Illness Vol. xx No. xx 2014 ISSN 0141-9889, pp. 1–15. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.12183
Chawla, L. 2006. Learning to love the natural world enough to protect it. Barn 2, 57-78.
Gani, MR and ND Gani. 2011. River-margin habitat of Ardipithecus ramidus at Aramis, Ethiopia 4.4 million years ago, Nature Communications 2, Article number: 602 doi:10.1038/ncomms1610
Guéguen, N and J Stefan. 2014. “Green Altruism”: Short Immersion in Natural Green Environments and Helping Behavior. Environment and Behavior.
Ivanovski, B and G.S. Malhi. 2007. The psychological and neurophysiological concomitants of mindfulness forms of meditation. Acta Neuropsychiatrica 19(2): 76–91.
Lazarow, N, ML Miller, B Blackwell. 2009. Tourism in Marine Environments. 5(2/3): 145-158.
Slepian ML, N Ambady. Fluid movement and creativity. J Exp Psychol Gen. 141(4): 625-9.
Völker S, Kistemann T. 2011. The impact of blue space on human health and well-being - Salutogenetic health effects of inland surface waters: a review. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 214(6): 449-60.
Wheeler, B, White, M, Fleming, LE, Taylor, T, Harvey, A, Depledge, MH. (In Press). Influences of the Oceans on human health and wellbeing. In Bowen R (ed) Seas Society & Human Well-being, London: Wiley.
Adjusting the market value of coastal property for beach quality Appraisal Journal
Conservation Means Behavior. Conservation Biology
Using Psychology to Save Biodiversity and Human Well-Being. Conservation Biology
Coast, countryside and the National Trust. ECEHH
The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environ Health Prev Med
Does participating in physical activity outdoors have a greater effect on physical and mental wellbeing than physical activity indoors? A systematic review. Environmental Science and Technology
Does living by the coast improve health and wellbeing? Health & Place
The impact of blue space on human health and well-being – Salutogenetic health effects of inland surface waters: A review. Int. J. Hyg. Environ. Health:
Blue space: The importance of water for preference, affect, and restorativeness ratings of natural and built scenes. Journal of Environmental Psychology
Effect of environmental conditions on perceived psychological restorativeness of coastal parks. Journal of Environmental Psychology
Endogenous kappa opioid activation mediates stress-induced deficits in learning and memory. Journal of Neuroscience
Modelling The Value Of View in Real Estate Valuation: A 3-D GIS Approach. Journal of the Pacific Rim Real Estate Society
Modelling Dimensions of Height and View at Melbourne’s Docklands. Journal of the Pacific Rim Real Estate Society
The Blue Gym: Health and Wellbeing from Our Coasts. Marine Pollution Bulletin
The state of tranquility: Subjective perception is shaped by contextual modulation of auditory connectivity. NeuroImage
Differential engagement of anterior cingulate and adjacent medial frontal cortex in adept meditators and non-meditators. Neuroscience Letters
Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings. PLOS
Rapid natural scene categorization in the near absence of attention. PNAS:
Spectral quality of light modulates emotional brain responses in humans. PNAS
Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Benefits, problems, and characteristics of home aquarium owners. Psychological Reports
The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting With Nature. Psychological Science:
Blue or Red? Exploring the Effect of Color on Cognitive Task Performances. Science
Coastal Populations Are Healthier Than Those Inland. Science Daily
Being seaside is good for you. Science Daily
"What transpires in the mind when one visualizes the sea presumably bears little interesting resemblance to the sea. The mind isn't blue, it isn't a body of water, and so forth. But visualizing the ocean might substantially resemble an episode of seeing the ocean, either an actual seeing or a hypothetical one."
Goleman, D. Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence.
Kahneman, D. Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Levitin, DL. This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
Roerden, LP. 2002. Lessons of the Wild. In: Schools with Spirit: Nurturing the Inner Lives of Children and Teachers.
ECEHH: Outdoor space and dementia: A systematic review
ECEHH: Psycho-physiological responses to indoor cycling in different environments
ECEHH: The beach as a setting for families’ health promotion
Gelles, D. “The Mind Business,” Financial Times, 24 August 2012.
Travis Central Appraisal District: View Attributes in the Appraisal of Real Estate
Weir, K. “Your cheating brain,” New Scientist, 21 (March 2014), 35–37.