Rivers and canals may help boost your mood: Study

A recent study, carried out by King's College London, Nomad Projects and J & L Gibbons in partnership with the Canal & River Trust, shows that spending time by canals and rivers is linked to feeling happy and healthy. Researchers report that the combination of blue and green space with wildlife has a greater impact on wellbeing than spending time in an environment that is characterized by only green space.

The study found that visiting canals and rivers was associated with a greater improvement in mental wellbeing, and this relationship was still present when accounting for individual variation due to age, gender, education, ethnicity, and a diagnosis of a mental health condition. People also reported continued improvements in their mental wellbeing for up to 24 hours after the visit had taken place.

The researchers used Urban Mind, a smartphone-based app, to collect thousands of real time audits about participants' location and mental wellbeing. Results from this first of its kind study showed positive associations between visits to canals and rivers and mental wellbeing, as well as a positive experience for feelings of safety and social inclusion relative to all other types of environments (such as indoors, or outside in an urban environment, or near green spaces).

Ref:

Going with the flow: study shows canals help boost your mood,DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271306