PDF Summary:Blue Mind, by Wallace J. Nichols

Do you ever wonder why you feel so serene sitting at the beach, watching the waves? You’re likely experiencing Blue Mind. In Blue Mind, Wallace J. Nichols argues that water has a profound impact on our well-being and health because it induces a calming, meditative state, which he calls the Blue Mind state. He explains that we’re naturally attracted to water because of how it aided our survival in the past and that we still derive benefits from water today. Nichols is a research associate and co-director of multiple environmental organizations.

In our guide, we’ll explore why humans are so attracted to water and describe the ways it reduces stress and allows the mind to heal. We’ll also discuss why it appeals to our senses, such as sight and hearing, and look at different ways of being in or around water. We’ll conclude by exploring society’s relationship with water and how it might be improved. We’ll add scientific and social context for Nichols’s ideas and discuss alternatives to the tips he offers.

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For example, if a young boy tries to pick out a pink toy at the store but is scolded by his parent because they believe pink is for girls, the boy is likely to have a lower preference for the color pink because he has a negative experience associated with it. Alternatively, if someone has a wonderful vacation at the beach, they may come to associate the blue color of the sea with a sense of happiness. While blue is still the most widely favored color worldwide, ecological valence theory suggests that this is a subjective, experiential tendency rather than a biological one.

Water also appeals to our visual sense because of its shiny, reflective surface and the way it gently moves. Nichols explains that we’re naturally mesmerized by the simultaneously changing and repeating patterns we see on the surface of water and that watching these patterns engages our involuntary attention and calms and relaxes the mind.

(Shortform note: The appealing nature of water’s shininess may explain why we like shiny objects like jewelry. Studies in consumer behavior led researchers to conclude that shiny or glossy objects remind us of fresh water and that our liking for such objects increases when we’re thirsty (suggesting a psychological association with water).)

Water’s Buoyant Appeal

The physical sensation of being in water is also very pleasing, writes Nichols. Because the human body is made up largely of water, and because the fat in our bodies and the air in our lungs are both lighter than water, we float, allowing us to enjoy a sense of weightlessness. Flotation—or the practice of floating motionless in water for extended periods—is often used to treat chronic pain, stress, injury, depression, and even conditions like ADHD and PTSD.

(Shortform note: Flotation appears to directly impact stress by shifting the brain from the fight or flight state into a “rest and recover” state. In this way, it turns off the body’s stress response, along with the negative side effects that come with it. However, not everyone floats as easily as others. People with a greater amount of muscle or a lower amount of fat are more likely to sink, which can increase the risk of drowning.)

Water’s Auditory Appeal

According to Nichols, the sound of water also appeals to us for many reasons. One of these is that we first heard the sounds of water when we were floating in utero as fetuses, so those sounds are deeply comforting as they remind us of being in the womb.

(Shortform note: Fetuses are also exposed to sounds like their mother’s heartbeat and the sound of her breathing, which may help explain why we find other natural sounds, like wind, soothing, as well as why white noise can be an effective way to soothe a baby.)

Additionally, since the sounds of water tend to be gentle, regular, quiet, and mid-to-low frequency, they’re inherently pleasing to our ears. Conversely, we’re frequently exposed to sounds that are overly loud, harsh, high-pitched, or arrhythmic in our daily lives from sources such as traffic and machinery. Pleasant sounds like those from water—whether it’s the sound of ocean waves, a waterfall, or a babbling brook—can improve mood, relaxation, and concentration.

(Shortform note: Research shows how water sounds improve mood neurologically by demonstrating a direct link between auditory input and emotion: The auditory cortex activates the amygdala, the brain structure involved in emotional processing. In studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging scans, participants identified the sound of flowing water as one of the most pleasant sounds alongside a baby’s laugh and thunder. They identified machine sounds like electric drills and traffic sounds like squealing brakes as being among the most unpleasant.)

Ways to Enjoy the Water

There are many ways to enjoy the benefits of water. Nichols explains that it’s not just being in water that induces a Blue Mind state, but also being on the water, being near the water, or even looking at images of water. He describes several ways people interact with water to obtain its benefits.

Exercise: Swimming

Nichols explains that swimming is appealing because of the body’s buoyancy, which causes a 200-pound body to weigh only 10 pounds in the water. The water also provides resistance, so moving our bodies through it stretches and exercises all the body’s muscles while taking pressure off the joints and ligaments.

(Shortform note: Exercises that take pressure off the joints are known as low-impact exercises. These exercises are well-suited for people recovering from injury or dealing with joint issues, and anyone can benefit from alternating between low-impact and high-impact workouts. Swimming is particularly advantageous because it can be high intensity—meaning it’s extremely physically challenging—while still keeping pressure off the joints.)

Additionally, the physical pressure of being immersed in water—known as hydrostatic pressure—can provide a full-body soothing sensation. This pressure also restricts circulation to the extremities, which causes the heart to work harder to pump blood throughout the entire body, resulting in greater blood flow. This makes the body’s arteries relax to reduce the resistance against the blood flow, and this arterial relaxation leads the body to activate the same neurotransmitters that activities like meditation activate. The lungs also have to work harder to function under the pressure of the water—and deal with the increased blood flow—and all of this together can greatly improve cardiovascular strength.

Swimming also provides aerobic exercise, which promotes the release of stress-relieving hormones and neurotransmitters like endorphins and endocannabinoids. This, combined with the rhythmic breathing required for swimming, produces a state similar to that induced by meditation.

Hydrostatic Pressure and the Body

Hydrostatic pressure also provides benefits like reduced swelling: In the same way that it puts pressure on the blood vessels, the force of the water pushes fluid out of the extremities by compressing the body, and it actually provides greater compression than medical stockings designed specifically to reduce swelling. It also applies constant stimulation to the skin and its nerve endings, which causes the nervous system to reduce these nerves’ sensitivity, dulling your pain receptors and thus reducing pain. The increased blood flow also clears lactic acid from the muscles, lessening post-exercise soreness.

Additionally, the meditation-like effects of hydrostatic pressure make water a great place to practice yoga or other mindfulness exercises. Finally, if you want the aerobic exercise of swimming but don’t enjoy it, there are other aerobic exercises you can do in water, including walking or running, balancing, planking, bicycling, and pushups.

Extreme Water Sports: Surfing and Diving

Another way of interacting with the water is through surfing. Nichols suggests that surfing is particularly conducive to the Blue Mind state because it requires surfers to be deeply attuned to the movement of the sea and monitor it very closely to see when they might be able to catch the perfect wave. Surfing also affects the brain in a similar way as do many addictive substances: When engaging in an activity that’s novel, risky, rewarding, and challenging, the brain produces a rush of dopamine that we can easily become dependent on. Both surfing and addictive drugs meet all these criteria. Because of this, Nichols often recommends surfing as a positive addiction that people can substitute for harmful addictions.

(Shortform note: Some experts argue that addictions can’t be positive because addictions by definition are damaging to the user’s life or well-being. While an activity like surfing may produce some of the same chemicals as an addictive substance would, it doesn’t affect the brain in the same way—by making the body feel like the activity is necessary for its survival. Experts suggest that what we refer to as positive addictions are just good habits, but even seemingly good habits are harmful if they begin to dominate our lives or we continue to engage in them even when they become detrimental. For people who are prone to addiction, the idea of substituting one addiction (even a “positive” one) for another may actually be counterproductive.)

Diving is another popular water sport that Nichols discusses. Diving is particularly appealing to the senses because it involves looking at and touching things under the water—a very different experience from the things we’re able to look at and touch on land. Diving also magnifies the effects of hydrostatic pressure, which increases by one atmosphere every 10 meters below the surface. This comes with some risks, as being exposed to too much pressure can result in nitrogen narcosis (a state of euphoria or confusion from nitrogen entering the bloodstream), and coming up too quickly can result in the bends (or decompression sickness). However, diving is associated with greater adventurousness, less anxiety, and greater health overall.

Sensory Benefits of Scuba Diving

Diving not only offers new sensory experiences, but it even enhances some senses. Nearby objects under the water appear both larger and closer than they are (though the way light interacts with water also means that distant objects appear farther away than they are). Sound also moves faster through water than it does through air, so it can feel like you’re surrounded by the sounds of the ocean and marine life. Divers are often discouraged from touching objects under the water due to safety concerns, but the feel of the equipment against your skin and the pressure and temperature of the water create an intense tactile experience as well.

While diving offers a rich sensory experience, it should only be performed with sufficient training and supervision according to your experience level since, as Nichols indicates, diving is a high-risk activity.

Recreation: Fishing and Boating

Some people prefer to be near the water rather than in it or under it. Fishing is a great way to do that, explains Nichols. Fishing has been shown to calm the mind and reduce stress, and the physical motions involved in fishing provide effective therapies for many ailments. For example, the motions involved in fly-fishing help improve the strength and flexibility of chest muscles in people who’ve had breast cancer surgery. The focus and patience involved in fishing can also be good therapy for people with PTSD or other disorders. It’s also at a skill level that’s accessible to most people, which can make it a better option than more difficult activities like swimming or diving.

(Shortform note: While the physical act of fishing can have many benefits for people, some suggest that it’s a cruel practice that unnecessarily harms fish. Groups devoted to veganism or animal welfare often note that fish can feel pain and that it’s wrong to cause an animal pain for recreation. While the issue of whether or not fish feel pain has been debated over the years, recent research suggests that they do and that they’re not only consciously aware of physical pain, but they can also experience emotional and psychological pain. Knowing that fishing causes real pain might negate some of the stress-reducing benefits that Nichols lists.)

Boating and similar activities like kayaking also offer the benefits of being in proximity to water. Activities like rowing and paddling provide a great upper-body workout, and sailing boats that require the work of multiple people can improve confidence, teamwork, and social skills. The main appeal that Nichols hears from boaters is the sense of freedom it provides—being out in the open air, immersed in nature, away from the constricting demands of daily life.

(Shortform note: While boating and kayaking provide a sense of freedom, they are among the more expensive methods of water recreation that Nichols recommends and thus require significant resources to engage in. And to achieve the physical and social benefits of these sports, you have to take significant precautions to avoid injury or other risks. It’s important to purchase reliable equipment and maintain it well, use good judgment in potentially dangerous conditions, and (as with other forms of water recreation) avoid practices that may be harmful to the environment.)

Working: Sailing and Commercial Fishing

Some professions also require working on the water. Sailors and commercial fishers spend long stretches of time interacting with the water to earn a living and provide food and transportation. According to Nichols, these workers also cite the sense of freedom as a major reason they’re drawn to these professions, along with the pride they take in their work and the challenge of taking on the sea every day.

These challenges can sometimes be very dangerous. Due to the demands of keeping a ship operating for 24 hours a day, sailors are often sleep deprived, and they often deal with heavy machinery that can cause severe injury. Overfishing can also deplete fish populations and has led to government bans on fishing in some areas, decreasing the availability of such jobs and making them a less viable option for earning a living.

Risks of Fishing and Overfishing

In addition to the high risk of injury, commercial fishing has a fatality rate nearly 30 times higher than the fatality rate of the average American job. Half of these deaths come from vessel disasters (sinking or capsizing), and many others come from falling overboard.

While overfishing remains a problem, some countries like Iceland have implemented policies that effectively protect fish populations while still enabling commercial fishing so that fisherpeople can maintain their employment. However, not everyone who works on a boat takes the job on willingly: Human trafficking is a serious problem in the industry, as migrant workers are often forced into labor to make up for shortages. For such people, being on a boat represents the opposite of freedom and pride in one’s work.

Society’s Relationship With Water

While the benefits of water are many, there are some societal obstacles to accessing them, including financial issues and environmental damage. The Blue Mind state is not as easy to attain for some people as it is for others.

The Cost of Water-Adjacent Properties

Nichols explains that real estate that’s near water is in extremely high demand. As a result, these properties are much more expensive than similar properties—or even higher quality properties—away from the water. People with the means to do so will often pay millions of dollars for even the shabbiest homes if they’re next to a water source. Nichols cites this as evidence of how highly we value water. However, because man-made water features also provide the benefits of Blue Mind, you don’t necessarily need to live right by the ocean, a lake, or a river to enjoy the effects of water.

(Shortform note: The high cost of properties near water means that water-adjacent living is becoming a privilege often available only to the wealthy. This problem is exacerbated by climate change-related weather events that often damage water-adjacent housing, resulting in rebuilding costs that less wealthy residents can’t afford. The more expensive rebuilt homes are then purchased by wealthy individuals, displacing the less wealthy and resulting in a phenomenon called climate gentrification. Additionally, while man-made water features can provide some benefits, research suggests that these are not as beneficial as more immersive experiences in nature.)

The Environmental Movement: Using Love to Inspire Action

Nichols argues that the methods we use to encourage environmental activism are misguided and that we should instead tap into our inherent appreciation for the planet to better motivate people to take action. He suggests that approaching these efforts with an attitude that places blame on people for their inaction, or that overwhelms them with depressing facts and statistics, is unproductive. These approaches make people feel ashamed and afraid, often causing them to tune out or resist the message.

Nichols recommends encouraging people to take on a biocentric view of the natural world—one that regards our relationship with nature as a partnership and takes into account not only how nature affects humans but also how humans affect nature. He explains that a biocentric view is one built on love and that taking on this type of worldview would prompt people to work harder to protect our natural environment.

He suggests that the way to shift our collective view of nature to a biocentric one is to tap into people’s natural emotions and the connection we feel to nature and that the best way to do this is to first establish the human connection with nature. For example, people will likely be more receptive to the idea of taking action on climate change after walking through an aquarium, and they’ll respond better to an image of a damaged environment if they first see images of that environment in its unspoiled state.

Human Attitudes and Effects on Climate Change

One reason it’s hard for us to have a biocentric view of nature is that society teaches us to think remotely about the environment, viewing it as a distant object that has little interplay with our lives. This helps explain why we fail to utilize resources and practices that protect the environment despite those resources being available to us. Some experts refer to humans’ negative impact on the environment as “ecocide” and suggest that we should take direction from indigenous cultures that have a reverential view of nature in order to improve our relationship with the planet.

Additionally, shaming people and depressing them with statistics is all the more unproductive because of how relatively little control individuals have over humans’ collective impact on the environment. Powerful entities like corporations tend to have a much larger influence. Over 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions between 1988 and 2014 came from just 100 companies. Oil companies also are frequently responsible for spilling oil into the ocean and other natural environments, often with little accountability afterward. Environmental movements that both emphasize humans’ connection to nature and identify the main sources of environmental damage may be the most effective in protecting nature.