The sedative effect of the sea has been reflected in art, home decoration and even in the choice of place to spend the holidays, as it is the preferred environment for more people to relax. There are several reasons for this. One is color: blue has a calming effect .
The British psychologist Nicholas Humphrey demonstrated in a classic experiment with monkeys that they preferred to enter an enclosure painted blue than one painted in red tones . In the first, his blood pressure stabilized and his respiratory rate decreased. Humphrey also found that babies calm down more easily under such colored light , suggesting that some of these sensations are innate.
The neuroscientist Shelley Batts, from Stanford University, suggests, for her part, that the sound of the waves is accompanied by our breathing , which contributes greatly to relax, and the psychologist Philippe Goldin, from the University of California in Davis reminds us of an interesting relationship: the ocean, amniotic fluid, and the brain are essentially similar in composition.
This predisposition would also explain why we are stunned by the slow dance of fish swimming in a fish tank or aquarium . British researchers from the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter and the National Marine Aquarium have found that watching this spectacle is also good for your health : it slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure and improves mood.
