“It seems to make us happier” | Wilnesh News

After 20 years of interviewing centenarians and visiting “blue zones” (areas in the world where people tend to live longest), Dan Bitner Learned something he didn’t expect.

“When you take global happiness data and control everything else, you find People who live near water…are happier Than those who (don’t),” Buettner said.

In fact, all five Blue Zones—Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, California; Ikaria, Greece; and Nicoya, Costa Rica—are located on the water.

While there are several theories as to why this happens, the end result is clear.

“It could be the calming effect of the water, or it could be the tempering effect of the water,” Buettner said. “But it seems to make us happier.”

Happiness isn’t the only positive side effect of living near water. A 2017 systematic review published in BMJ Open Spending time near the coast, lake or river was found to “promote health and well-being and prevent disease”.

Buettner himself lives in Miami Beach and says location plays a big role in his happiness. But he said, “It has nothing to do with the water itself.” Instead, he credits the stunning location and weather with helping him live a healthy lifestyle.

“I’m looking at the ocean right now, where I swim every day, and the beach where I walk every day,” he told Make It. “I deliberately chose a place that was very easy and attractive to do physical activity year-round without actually trying.”

His goal is to do an activity he enjoys every day, including low-impact exercise like stand-up paddle boarding or walking.

“The key is not strenuous physical activity—‘No pain, no gain.’ It’s quite the opposite,” Bittner said. “When there’s no pain, there’s gain. Because when there’s no pain, you’re more likely to do it every day.”

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