Calming Effects of Streams

Another difference that I noticed between areas with little water, and areas that had a stream running through them was the feeling that these two different places gave me. When I went to the stream, I noticed that afterwards, I was very calm and in good spirits. On the other hand, when I was in the dry area, the same calmness and optimism was not as prevalent. Upon further investigation, I discovered that there are reasons why the water areas elicited these emotions. According to Mentalfloss.com, “the area around a large waterfall can boast a negative ion count of 100,000 per cubic centimeter (average fresh air has 2,000 - 4,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter). Negatively ionized air promotes alpha brain waves and increases brain wave amplitude, which creates an overall clear and calming effect..” And considering that when I went on the hike I reached a waterfall, I was exposed to a lot more negatively ionized air, than the trail that does not have such an abundance of plants and water. Furthermore, also according to Matthews and Jenks in Ingestion of Mycobacterium Vaccae…”
“mice fed live M. vaccae [which is present within soil] prior to and during a maze learning task demonstrated a reduction in anxiety-related behaviors”. And because of the soil within the water rich forest is more capable of supporting a greater biodiversity, it can be assumed that the abundance of this bacteria is greater in the soil. Furthermore, greenery has been known to reduce stress and promote healthy brain functioning.

Sources:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/60632/11-scientific-reasons-why-being-nature-relaxing
Matthews, Dorothy M., and Susan M. Jenks. “Ingestion of Mycobacterium Vaccae Decreases Anxiety-Related Behavior and Improves Learning in Mice.” Behavioural Processes, vol. 96, 2013, pp. 27–35., doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2013.02.007.

Posted on Δεκέμβριος 10, 2017 1008 ΜΜ by _ben_