In these anxious times, did you know that staring at flames is good for your well being?
The trance-like relaxing effects of a campfire are well known but scientists have found that staring at flames reduces blood pressure – the longer people sit in front of a roaring fire, the greater the relaxing effect it has on them. And, brain scans even showed that when the flames and noise are simulated in a laboratory they reduce blood pressure.
Campfires and fires in a hearth have played a key role in the evolution of human beings, with the flicker and crackle of burning logs directly linked to human psychology. Dr Christopher Lynn, a medical and psychological anthropologist, carried out tests on hundreds of volunteers to see how they reacted to a virtual fire.
“Fires are multisensory experiences that have numerous unexplored dimensions when considering human evolution.”
He said, “For ancient hominins, it would have provided the following: light to extend the day and illuminate otherwise uninhabitable dark places; heat for cooking previously inedible food, warming bodies at night, and enabling migration into colder climates; a weapon to facilitate mass hunting and stave off predators; and, according to several scholars, social connection.”
So, help improve your well being. What better way than to take a moment and look into the flickering flames of your fire?