Stressed? Get An Aquarium

Here’s an easy, low-cost way to lift your mood: watch some fish in an aquarium. Science Daily reports on research conducted at the University of Exeter showing that viewing aquarium displays reduces blood pressure and heart rate, and that higher numbers of fish helped to hold people’s attention for longer and improve their moods. The researchers tracked the blood pressure and heart rate of people at the Great Britain’s National Marine Aquarium as fish were slowly added to a new 550,000 litre tank. The bottom line: the more fish, the more relaxed the viewers, and the better their mood. Lead researcher Deborah Cracknell says “the study has, for the first time, provided robust evidence that ‘doses’ of exposure to underwater settings could actually have a positive impact on people’s wellbeing.”