On World Water Day, here are ways to add the soothing sounds of gurgling liquid to your life
A 2020 study asked a few hundred Italian citizens stuck in lockdown to do a web-based intervention that involved listening to audio clips of the sound of water. The people who listened reported feeling more relaxed, less stressed, and less preoccupied with Covid-19.
Whether the gentle lull of a rainstorm, the whoosh of a creek, or the gurgle of a fountain, water transports us. Marine biologist Wallace Nichols wrote an entire book about this, called “Blue Mind.” He writes about the science behind the calming and energizing effects of water, and says that we have a biological predisposition to love water. Our body is made up of mostly water. Our planet is made up of mostly water. Water is, in essence, life.
Nichols calls the spaces in our lives devoted to water, “blue spaces.” Being in a blue space creates your own personal stream of feel-good neurochemicals — chemicals which both increase blood flow and promote relaxation. His message: Whether you need to chill or you need to think, a creek can get you there.