Named places that most "attract" people

Scientists have revealed the secret of "blue landscapes": why are we so drawn to water? Researchers from the UK and the US found that people significantly more often experience warm nostalgic feelings towards places near water - seas, lakes, and rivers - than towards forests, mountains, or fields. Water landscapes possess the greatest emotional appeal and exert a powerful psychological impact. The research results are published in the journal Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology (CRESP).

More than a thousand people aged 18 to 94 participated in the large-scale study, sharing descriptions of places that evoke nostalgia in them. Scientists carefully analyzed this data, comparing it with geolocation and studying the linguistic features of the descriptions. It turned out that nostalgic places were most often characterized as "beautiful," with impressive "views" and "aesthetically pleasing."

Seascapes took the leading position among "nostalgic locations" - they were noted by more than a quarter of Britons (26%) and a fifth of Americans (20%). When considering all water bodies, including lakes and rivers, the figure rises to an impressive 35% in the UK and 30% in the US. In comparison, rural areas and mountain landscapes are mentioned by respondents in only 10% of cases.

"We expected people to more often recall green landscapes, as many studies emphasize their benefits for mental health. But it turned out that it is the blue - water - places that are the main anchors of nostalgia," shared Dr. Elizabeth Militaru, the project leader, about the unexpected discovery.

From a scientific point of view, water landscapes have special visual characteristics: brightness, color saturation, and high contrast, as well as moderate complexity - what specialists call fractal structure. The seashore, winding lake shore, or river often demonstrate precisely such visual properties. At the same time, overly chaotic scenes, for example in a forest, can cause anxiety, while excessively monotonous ones can lead to boredom.

Researchers recommend taking these results into account in urban planning, emphasizing that providing access to water and green landscapes - especially in dense urban environments - can play a key role in maintaining the mental health of the population.