How the ocean brings us awe

Even just looking at photos of the sea can help you feel better. Plus a few images guaranteed to make you feel wonder.

(Marten Bjork/ Unsplash)

Being at the beach is a spiritual experience. I love laying in the sun, going swimming, and just watching the waves, transfixed by the ocean’s beauty.

At the end of a beach day, I often feel amazed at how I managed to pass a whole day not doing a whole lot.

4th of July and summer in general got me thinking about the beauty and awe of the ocean and other bodies of water.

Where I live in Brooklyn, I don’t have direct access to the ocean, but I love walking along Brooklyn Bridge Park watching the East River.

It brings me a sense of awe, and I try to walk along the shoreline at least a few times a week.

View of lower Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge Park (Trent Erwin/ Unsplash)

When I’m able to get out of the city and visit the beach, it’s truly a transformative experience. It turns out that science backs up these benefits.

In 2010, a group of researchers put out a paper exploring the impact on mental health and wellbeing of “blue spaces,” natural spaces that contain water.

At the time, there had been plenty research into “green spaces” and their benefits, but the studies had tended to ignore the unique influence of bodies of water.

The researchers explored how water contributed to people’s sense of how attractive and restorative a space was — and found that water had a significant positive effect.

When comparing natural spaces with and without water, the blue landscapes were rated as being the most restorative, even over forests and mountain-filled landscapes.

Why? One theory is that the ocean invokes a larger sense of awe than other landscapes.

Emma Loewe reports in National Geographic:

What makes beaches particularly good for resting the overworked mind? Catherine Kelly, the author of Blue Spaces: How and Why Water Can Make You Feel Better, suspects it has to do with their scale: their immersive soundtracks and expansive views that seem never to end.

When we visit the coast, she says, “We're invited in a kind of effortless way to bring our attention to the horizon. There's this sense of awe, where we get perspective on our problems and feel part of something bigger than ourselves.”

Awe tends to occur when we connect with something vast that reminds us of our (relatively small) place in the world. The emotion is known to reduce stress, engage a sense of purpose, and push us to act more selflessly.

According to the Attention Restoration Theory, which was first proposed in 1989 and is still widely accepted today, the most mentally restorative landscapes tend to be “softly fascinating.” Their scenery is dynamic enough to hold our attention, but predictable enough to allow our minds to relax. Ocean waves fit this description to a tee, says marine social ecologist Easkey Britton.

I think both the waves and the vastness play an important role in the ocean’s unique power to awe us.

While wandering in the forest or among mountains invokes a sense of wonder, there’s something about the vastness of the ocean, and the sheer power contained in it that invokes a unique sense of awe.

The fact that we have limited access to the depths of the ocean, and the world of creatures that live there, further add to its wonder and mystery.

Apparently the sea and its wealth of benefits are having a moment on TikTok with influencers raving about “ocean therapy.”

Liv Bridge writes in Unilad:

TikTokers are digging their toes in the sand and dipping in the crystal blue shallows from the beach, breathing and taking in mother nature's most grand creation, whether morning, noon or night.

Content creators claim the power of the ocean waves melts away all life's problems with one going so far as to say a cold water dip gives a dopamine boost akin to a hit of cocaine, though clearly only one of these methods is beneficial for physical and mental health.

I’m not too sure about the cocaine metaphor but I can relate to feeling slightly intoxicated by the ocean’s beauty.

So how can we experience these benefits if we don’t live close to the ocean? Luckily, looking at photos of it brings plenty of benefits too.

Though not as immersive of an experience, taking the time to view images of the ocean and other natural sights can boost our moods.

I’ve included a few beautiful photos of the ocean below to get you started. I also recommend checking out this collection of stunning ocean photos published by National Geographic.

(Credit, top left, clockwise: Ian Schneider, Yidi Tsao, Guille Pozzi, David Courbit/ Unsplash)

What natural sights and blue spaces bring you the most awe? Let me know in the comments!