Canals, Rivers and Wellbeing: What a 2022 King’s College London Study of 299 App Users Found

A towpath, a river bank or a lock-side bench is one of the most accessible places to spend a quiet half hour. A 2022 study by King’s College London and partners looked at whether time by canals and rivers was linked with better mental wellbeing than time in other places, including parks and fields with no water. This guide summarises the study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, and the Canal & River Trust’s account of it, and sets out what the findings can and cannot tell a reader. It is general wellbeing information, and the study was carried out in the UK.

How the study worked

According to the PLOS ONE paper, the researchers used a smartphone app called Urban Mind, which asks people short questions about where they are and how they feel. The work involved 299 participants, of whom 186 completed at least half of their assessments and were included in the main analysis, which covered 6,152 assessments. Participants were recruited between September 2020 and June 2021 through social media, partner organisations and research ambassadors. They completed the assessments three times a day for fourteen days.

Wellbeing was measured with ten questions on a five-point scale, covering positive feelings such as feeling confident, relaxed, happy, connected and energetic, and negative ones such as feeling anxious, stressed, down, lonely and tired. Scores ran from 10 to 50. The Canal & River Trust describes the participants as people of varying age, ethnicity, gender and background across the UK, and says the data were analysed by researchers at King’s College London, Nomad Projects and J & L Gibbons.

What the researchers found

The paper reports these results after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity and education:

• Compared with being anywhere else: mental wellbeing scores were 2.03 points higher when participants were at a canal or river.
• Compared with green spaces: scores were 1.54 points higher than in green spaces without water.
• After the visit: a visit was associated with a 1.35-point higher score for up to 24 hours afterwards.
• Safety and inclusion: participants also reported feeling safer and more socially included when by water.

The paper found no significant difference in the effect between people with and without a diagnosis of mental illness, and reported that the effects were stronger in younger people and in males. The Canal & River Trust presents the headline as an increase in wellbeing for up to 24 hours that was stronger than time in green spaces alone.

Why water may matter

Professor Andrea Mechelli of King’s College London said in the Trust’s account that canals and rivers contain not only water but also an abundance of trees and plants, so their effect is likely to be due to the multiple benefits associated with both green and blue spaces. He added that waterways also provide homes for wildlife, and that other research links encountering wildlife with mental wellbeing. That is an explanation offered by the researchers, not something the study tested directly.

What the study cannot show

The authors state several limitations. The sample was self-selected and biased toward people who use water, and participants knew what the study was about, which can influence answers. The group was not very diverse: it was predominantly white (75.9%), university-educated (72.2%) and female (69.9%). The wellbeing scale had not been validated before, and the cross-sectional design means it cannot prove that being by water caused the higher scores; people may choose to visit waterways when they already feel good. A difference of a couple of points on a 10 to 50 scale is a modest average, not a promise for any one person.

Ways to use the findings

The study’s suggestion, reported by both the journal and the Trust, is that visits could become part of social prescribing schemes. For an individual, a simpler use is to treat a canal or river walk as one option in a calm routine:

• Try a short, unhurried walk along a towpath or river path, combining it with the ideas in the guide to mindful walking.
• Notice the wildlife, as the researchers suggest wildlife may contribute, and read the guide to birdwatching for wellbeing.
• Compare other water-based options in the guide to wild swimming and blue space, which needs more care than a walk.
• Read the broader guide to nature and mental health.

The Trust and King’s College London say approximately 9 million people live within 1km of a canal, so a waterway may be nearer than expected. Anyone walking beside water should follow local safety signs and take care near edges.

Frequently asked questions

Does the study show canals improve mental health? No. It found that wellbeing scores were higher when people were by waterways, but it was observational and cannot prove cause and effect.

Was it better than parks? On average yes in this sample: scores were 1.54 points higher than in green spaces without water.

How long did the effect last? The paper reported an association with higher wellbeing for up to 24 hours after a visit.

The bottom line

A 2022 UK study of 299 app users found higher self-reported wellbeing when people were by canals and rivers than elsewhere or in green spaces without water, with a lift lasting up to 24 hours. It was self-selected and observational, so it supports a canal or river walk as a low-cost idea to try, not as a proven treatment.

Sources

• Bergou et al., PLOS ONE (31 August 2022), "The mental health benefits of visiting canals and rivers: An ecological momentary assessment study"
• Canal & River Trust, "Proof that time by water boosts your wellbeing"
• King’s College London, "Going with the flow: study shows canals help boost your mood"