--- title: The Science of Water and Why You Need to Hit the Beach ASAP description: There's some serious science behind water's ability to reduce stress, inspire creativity and promote empathy. How's that for a day in the sand? canonical: https://time.com/3104068/science-of-water-beach-benefits/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-12T20:04:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:54:33.581Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Why You Need to Hit the Beach Right. This. Second. og:description: There's some serious science behind water's ability to reduce stress, inspire creativity and promote empathy. How's that for a day in the sand? og:url: https://time.com/3104068/science-of-water-beach-benefits/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt435afe6017a5732e/69869f4906f2c1659c3304ae/506064383.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5760 og:image:height: 3240 og:image:alt: 506064383 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why You Need to Hit the Beach Right. This. Second. twitter:description: There's some serious science behind water's ability to reduce stress, inspire creativity and promote empathy. How's that for a day in the sand? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt435afe6017a5732e/69869f4906f2c1659c3304ae/506064383.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why You Need to Hit the Beach Right. This. Second. > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=37d54d14-7f4e-43e2-af37-0c6dd83a8a6a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=37d54d14-7f4e-43e2-af37-0c6dd83a8a6a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=37d54d14-7f4e-43e2-af37-0c6dd83a8a6a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Dr. Wallace J. Nichols](https://time.com/author/dr-wallace-j-nichols/) ## Dr. Wallace J. Nichols Aug 12, 2014 8:04 PM UTC  Summer Beach Summer Beach 4kodiak—Getty Images by [Dr. Wallace J. Nichols](https://time.com/author/dr-wallace-j-nichols/) ## Dr. Wallace J. Nichols Aug 12, 2014 8:04 PM UTC What is it about water that pulls us, soothes us, inspires us and connects us? During the decade I spent pursuing that simple question for my book [_Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do_](http://www.wallacejnichols.org/126/585/blue-mind-little-brown-amp-company-2014.html), I interviewed and met people around the world with a wide variety of relationships to water: surfers, swimmers, psychologists, artists, ocean managers, fishers, veterans, captains, floaters, neuroscientists, explorers, divers, inventors, educators, poets—and people with the surname Cousteau. Being by the water can pull the stress from us, inspire creativity and draw us closer to those we love. Research shows that feeling of awe and wonder we get by the sea can also promote compassion and empathy. Turns out there’s some serious science behind the Beach Boys’ famous lyric, “Catch a wave, and your sittin’ on top of the world.” So dive in and rank how blue your mind is—or how beach deprived you might be this summer—with this quiz. [Wallace J. Nichols](http://www.wallacejnichols.org) _is the author of_ [Blue Mind](http://www.wallacejnichols.org/126/585/blue-mind-little-brown-amp-company-2014.html) _and a Research Associate at the California Academy of Sciences. He has spent his life getting near, in, on, or under waters all over the world. He also loves sea turtles._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3104068/science-of-water-beach-benefits/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3104068/science-of-water-beach-benefits/"},"headline":"Why You Need to Hit the Beach Right. This. 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