Litter - strewn beach are n’t just bad for the environment . They ’re also big for your genial health . attend at a beach with garbage on it undermines the otherwise restorative quality of face at nature , according to a Modern subject area publish in the journalEnvironment and Behavior . It probably wo n’t come as a surprisal that looking at litter is a bummer . But it turns out our reaction to dirty beaches depends on the kind of litter we see .
Kayleigh Wyles , an environmental psychologist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the UK , photographed beaches cover in charge card bags , empty bottles , and other detritus she had carefully placed in the sand ( and later removed ) . She then showed the image to participants in three different lab experimentation . Participants rated fresh , pristine beach as more restorative , lull environments than beach that had trash on them .
What variety of food waste was on the beach count , though . She found that viewer rated beaches covered in fishing - related litter more highly than beach replete with old candy neglige and bags of scrap , in part because they view the latter chemical group to be grounds of deliberate littering and a sign of disrespect , while they did n’t hold old sportfishing nets to the same standard . the great unwashed report being angry or sad as they thought about the environmental consequences of the litter . But the web site of a uncontaminating beach left them feeling happy and relaxed .
Scientists have found increasing evidence that expend fourth dimension looking at nature isgood for genial wellness . An idea calledattention restoration theory , firstintroducedin 1989 , allege that see at natural scene boosts concentration and decreases stress by providing a break from the unvarying psychological stimulus of urban environments , where there ’s always something the brain wants topay attention to .
But beaches that would otherwise be mental health plugger may not be as good if they ’re covered in glazed trash that prompts people to recollect about contamination and how manhood is killing bird and nautical life story by dumping8 million measured tonsof trash into the ocean every class . That ’s yet another good reason to join a beach cleanup .
[ h / t : Hakai ]
