Why everyone needs a fountain in their home
Humans are attracted to water. It’s in our nature as animals. Call it survival instincts, call it therapy, whatever attracts us to water is in our DNA. We seek it out by driving to the beach, floating down the river, going fishing at the lake, or hiking to a waterfall.
We build it into our landscaping as well so we can mimic what we find in nature in our own back or front yards. Oftentimes we think about fountains as outdoor-only water features, but why banish water to the backyard when you can enjoy it all day and night in your home or office?
There are loads of benefits to incorporating indoor fountains into your decor.
Stress Relief
It can be a struggle to meditate at times; to take the time during your busy day to sit and do nothing. But just turning off all the noise and plopping down next to a beautiful, calming fountain in your living room for just a few minutes can help immensely. It has the ability to lower your heart rate and your blood pressure noticeably. You can feel your anxiety melt away.
White Noise
Evidence shows that listening to white noise while you work can make you more productive. Hearing the gentle trickle of water in the background calms us and helps us concentrate. A 2014 study in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience found that the presence of white noise helps improve learning in distracting environments and helps with memory. And attention writers, designers, and creatives: a moderate amount of ambient white noise can even boost your creativity!
Improves Quality of Sleep
The soft and repetitive sound of trickling water can help lull you to sleep. After thousands of years of evolution, our brains have been programmed to interpret certain sounds as non-threatening. Other sudden sounds, by contrast, like a scream or a crash, are supposed to wake us up by sounding alarm bells in our brain. We can actually use the non-threatening sound of water to drown out the background noises we don’t want to wake us up. Sometimes those sounds can even be our own voice in our head! Pair that feeling with an LED pump for a nightlight-style fountain and you’re set.
Statement Piece
Not all fountains are mass-produced and unoriginal. They can be a piece of art that really speaks to your style, your passions, or just be so unique that they inspire a conversation or a story. For example, I love building fountains out of upcycled antiques and other discarded materials like fire hoses.
Cleaner Air
Moving water like waves, waterfalls, or fountains actually helps improve the air you breathe. Fountains release negative ions which, evidence suggests, produces a biochemical reaction that increases serotonin levels in the brain helping to alleviate depression, release stress, and boost energy during the daytime. They may even work as well as antidepressants.