April 2026 Release

How Coastal Environments Influence Stress Regulation and Cognitive Health

Living in California, I have spent a lot of time near the coast. Through participating in beach cleanups with my environmental club, I began to notice something beyond the visible trash and pollution. Even in degraded conditions, the ocean environment seemed to affect how people felt and behaved. This observation led me to explore a question: can coastal environments influence human stress and cognitive health?

Research in environmental psychology suggests that natural environments are linked to improved mental well-being. In particular, “blue spaces,” which include oceans, lakes, and rivers, have been associated with lower stress and improved mood compared to urban environments (White et al., 2010). One explanation is that exposure to natural settings can reduce physiological stress responses, including cortisol levels, which are closely tied to stress regulation in the brain (Hunter et al., 2019).

Coastal environments may also support cognitive functioning. Attention Restoration Theory proposes that natural environments help restore directed attention, which is heavily used in academic and daily life tasks (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989). The ocean is especially effective because of its consistent sensory patterns, such as waves and rhythmic sound, which require less cognitive effort to process. This allows the brain to recover from mental fatigue.

However, these benefits may be threatened by environmental degradation. Studies indicate that pollution and loss of natural quality in green and blue spaces can reduce their psychological benefits (Gascon et al., 2017). During beach cleanups, I have seen how plastic waste and pollution alter the natural experience of these environments. This raises an important question: if the quality of these spaces declines, do their benefits to mental health also decline?

This connection suggests that environmental protection is not only an ecological concern but also a public health issue. Coastal environments may play a role in supporting mental well-being, meaning that pollution could indirectly affect stress levels and cognitive health at a population level.

Protecting coastal ecosystems, therefore, extends beyond conservation. It is also about preserving environments that support human mental and neurological health.

References

Gascon, M., Zijlema, W., Vert, C., White, M. P., & Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J. (2017). Outdoor blue spaces, human health and well-being: A systematic review of quantitative studies. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 220(8), 1207–1221.

Hunter, M. R., Gillespie, B. W., & Chen, S. Y. (2019). Urban nature experiences reduce stress in the context of daily life based on salivary biomarkers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 722.

Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. Cambridge University Press.

White, M. P., Alcock, I., Wheeler, B. W., & Depledge, M. H. (2010). Would you be happier living in a greener urban area? Psychological Science, 24(6), 920–928.