Why Do We Spent 30% More For A Water View?

“Why is it we’ll pay 30 percent more for a water view? It’s where you want to spend your vacation: on the beach. It’s what you want your home to face,” said marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols during a recent interview with Amanda FitzSimons from Elle Magazine.

Blue Mind: 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 (Little, Brown and Company), marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols asserts that regular interaction with water is as integral to one’s well-being as sunlight, exercise, and diet.

Hot springs and bathing was already used by the Romans and Greeks to heal and to relax.  Nichols uses a combination of anecdotes and hard data, he makes a persuasive case for water’s healing power.

Among the book’s evidence: a study of college students that concluded spa bathing significantly reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol. And in a social experiment at train stations in Japan (where the suicide rate is high), the incidence of jumping onto tracks was completely curbed once aqua-blue lights were installed. One of the book’s most convincing tidbits is a 2006 Irish study that concluded people living within five kilometers of the coast enjoyed higher life satisfaction.

Up for debate is whether this is due to their proximity to water or because people living near water tend to eat more fish and thus have diets higher in omega-3 acids, which have also been shown to reduce depression. Or, to Nichols’ point about waterfront vistas, whether they simply have more disposable income with which to secure a good view.

 

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