Children who live near the beach or near lakes grow up to be adults with better mental health, as per a new study. Spending time in "blue places," such as near the sea or inland waters like rivers and lakes, has been shown in studies across 18 nations to increase mental well-being.

Spending time in and among green places such as parks and woodlands in adulthood is connected with stress reduction and improved mental health, according to mounting data. However, we know substantially less about the benefits of blue spaces and the role that early childhood exposure to these waterways plays in later life.

The researchers analyzed data from over 15,000 people in 14 European countries and four other non-European regions (Hong Kong, Canada, Australia, and California) from the BlueHealth International Survey, a cross-sectional survey coordinated by the University of Exeter's European Center for Environment and Human Health.

Individuals who remembered more childhood experiences in blue spaces tended to place greater intrinsic value on natural settings in general and to visit them more frequently as adults—all of which were connected with better mental wellness in adulthood.

Ph.D. Candidate at the Sapienza University of Rome, and lead author of the paper published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, Valeria Vitale said: “In the context of an increasingly technological and industrialized world, it’s important to understand how childhood nature experiences relate to well-being in later life.”

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