Why do we love the sea, lakes and rivers?

In “The Surprising Benefits of Blue Spaces” Frankie Adkins and Katherine Latham (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20221108-the-doctors-prescribing-blue-therapy) talk about the benefits of time on the ocean and in blue spaces: “When Homo sapiens first evolved some 300,00 years ago, we lived in grasslands and forests, next to lakes and rivers. It wasn’t until 2007 that we became a majority-urban species.  . . . loss of human-nature interaction has been linked to a rising tide of mental health disorders.  A growing body of evidence indicates that human health, both mental and physical, is intrinsically linked to nature. But many experts now believe blue spaces, such as lakes and rivers, could be even more beneficial than green ones. Just looking at nature scenery has been found to cause rapid beneficial psychological and physiological changes in salivary cortisol, blood flow, blood pressure and brain activity. . . . But many experts now believe blue spaces, such as lakes and rivers, could be even more beneficial than green ones.”

All this attention to blue (and green) spaces is music to the ears of environmental psychologists who have been encouraging people to spend time outdoors and in spaces where they can see nature scenes for a long, long time.