People who grew up on the coast are mentally healthier than the rest.

Hours and days spent as a child in the blue zones - near the shores of lakes, rivers, seas - have a positive effect on mental health and well-being in adulthood. Such people often return to the coast and appreciate nature more. These conclusions were reached by a team of scientists from Europe and the United States during a study involving 15,000 people from 18 countries. Volunteers filled out questionnaires in which they indicated how often they spent time in the blue zones as children, and also assessed the state of their psyche. According to scientists, the results showed that blue zones for the spiritual, intellectual and physical development of children are just as necessary as green ones: squares, parks and forests.