Why a walk on the beach is best for a boost

WALKING on the beach cheers you up more than taking a stroll in the park, according to research.

All outdoor locations were associated with positive feelings of enjoyment, calmness and refreshment, the study found.

But visits to the coast were the most beneficial, while walks through urban parks had the least effect.

Taking a walk along the seafront also had a greater impact on emotional wellbeing than going for a ramble in the countryside or anywhere else. The beach remained best at providing a boost even after factors such as age, distance of travel, the presence of others, and type of activity were taken into account.

Researchers looked at data from 2,750 participants in a two-year study of people’s engagement with the natural envi- ronment. Mathew White, from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health in Truro, Cornwall, said: “There is a lot of work on the beneficial effects of visiting natural environments, but our findings suggest it is time to move beyond a simple ‘urban versus rural’ debate and start looking at the effect that different natural environments have on people’s health and well-being.’’ The research was presented at the British Psychological Society’s annual meeting in London.

It is not the first academic research to show the positive mental benefits of walking in the outdoors. In 2008 a University of Michigan study found that “interacting with nature” on an hour-long ramble increased the brain’s performance by a fifth, boosting memory and concentration levels.