Living in urbanised areas can deplete cognitive and emotional resources. To help restore them, many people seek out natural locations. Blue spaces (e.g. rivers, lakes, coasts) are among people’s favourite restorative settings, but we know little about the importance of type or quality for psychological restoration, or the role of nature connectedness.
Using survey data from 19 countries (n = 17,131), we explored the extent to which participants perceived a recent blue space visit had helped them “rest and recover [their] abilities to focus” and feel “part of nature”. Seventeen blue space types were investigated, spanning marine, lentic (‘standing’) inland, and lotic (‘flowing’) inland waters in both more natural and more built settings, respectively.
Accounting for country differences, linear mixed models found all blue space settings were recalled as restorative, with sandy beaches and rural rivers/canals the most, and marshlands the least. Recalled nature connectedness was also high overall, although more natural blue spaces consistently scored higher than built ones. Perceived safety was the quality indicator most associated with both outcomes. Actively engaging with the water (e.g. swimming, paddling) was associated with greater restoration than remaining on-land, and both outcomes showed diminishing marginal returns over time, peaking around 3 h. Path analysis focusing on walking (the most common visit activity) suggested a reciprocal relationship between perceived restoration and nature connectedness.
Results provide multi-country evidence that spending recreational time at safe blue spaces can benefit diverse populations by helping them to restore depleted cognitive/emotional resources and connect with the natural world.
