It’s time to see one of our many soothing local scenes and wonder why it soothes. Here’s a glimpse of the near-mountain called Blue Hill as it looms above a reflective Blue Hill Bay last week:
Studies show that scenes with water, often called "blue spaces" by researchers, are especially beneficial for mental health due to our evolutionary development. For many people, apparently, simply gazing at bodies of water – or images of them – can lower their heart rate and blood pressure and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Nature’s abundant “cool” blue and green colors historically have been associated with the evocation of tranquility in people. Seeing a calm, reflective, watery surface has been found to make people pause and reflect on their own thoughts and emotions while also feeling reconnected to nature. These feelings, in turn, can reduce anxiety and stress and lead to feelings of peace and a better mental balance.
Of course, I’m not qualified to say that the reported psychological observations are accurate for anyone other than me. But I do know tranquility when I feel her, and she comes silently to me sometimes when I visit scenes like this. (Image taken in Blue Hill, Maine, on October 3, 2025.)