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Surfing makes you happy - Its science :p

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  • 29-11-2011 10:34am
    #1
    Mickeroo
    Administrators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 32,239 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭


    Found this on reddit. Not that anyone on here needs a scientific study to tell them that surfing makes them happy, but I thought this was interesting nonetheless. :D Seems negatively charged ions released by the spray makes us release endorfins which results in "stoke" according to a scientific study:
    While this adrenalin rush may give us an edge in the water the effects subside quickly once ashore, while surf-stoke remains long after we’re back on the beach. Research suggests these persistent effects of surf euphoria may be attributed to an unlikely candidate: sea spray.

    The turbulence created by breaking waves alters the physical structure of the air and water, breaking apart water and air molecules and releasing charged ions* into the atmosphere. On their eternal quest for perfect waves surfers inevitably encounter this altered atmospheric state.

    Some scientists are convinced this abundance of negative ions has a positive effect on mood by triggering the release of endorphins and serotonin – the “happy hormones” – and increasing blood flow and oxygen circulation through our bodies.

    Similar studies show other environments with negatively charged atmospheric conditions, such as around waterfalls and on snowy mountains, produce similar effects. Maybe if your shower pressure is really good you could re-create the environment and get shower-stoked, using the same principle of turbulent water!

    A study of 107 surfers in California investigated the mental health benefits of surfing by asking surfers to describe how they felt before and after a surf. Surfers reported feeling calmer and more tranquil afterwards. Ryan Pittsinger, the researcher behind the study, put the results down to solitude – “It’s just you…it allows you to clear your head.”

    Perhaps the results would have differed on a busy day at Snapper…

    Here's the full article: http://www.theinertia.com/environment/scientists-froth-on-surf-stoke/

    It's pretty interesting but I really don't think I'l ever get the same feeling from taking a shower I have to say :pac:
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