Water experiences as a child – lifelong implications

Vitale and colleagues report that via “data from an 18-country sample (N = 15,743) the current work extended previous research by examining: a) blue spaces (coasts, rivers, lakes, etc.) in particular; b) associations between adults’ recalled childhood exposure to blue spaces, frequency of recent visits to green and blues spaces, and adult subjective well-being; c) the role of childhood exposure to blue spaces on intrinsic motivations to spend time in nature; and d) the consistency of these relationships across different countries. . . . Building familiarity with and confidence in and around blue spaces in childhood may stimulate a joy of, and greater propensity to spend recreational time in, nature in adulthood, with positive consequences for adult subjective well-being. . . . policies and initiatives encouraging greater contact with blue spaces during childhood may support better mental health in later life by enhancing intrinsic motivations and consequently the frequency of nature-based recreational activities in adulthood.”

Valeria Vitale, Leanne Martin, Mathew White, and 16 others.  “Mechanisms Underlying Childhood Exposure to Blue Spaces and Adult Subjective Well-Being:  An 18-Country Analysis.”  Journal of Environmental Psychology, in press, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101876