Health impacts of the Belgian coast

Did you know that 1 out of the 5 people you know will suffer from a depression or burn-out at least once in their life, as the result of stress and mental fatigue? The coast may provide a cheap and easy solution, where people can relax and recharge. But, we don’t know anything about how coastal visits impact people’s health and wellbeing. Therefore, I investigate how coastal visits impact people’s cognitive, emotional and physiological health. Meanwhile I consider all factors that can influence the restorative properties of the Belgian coast, such as the presence of litter and the level of naturalness. As such, coastal residents, visitors, and policy makers can use this information for the prevention of depressions or burn-outs.

For this joint PhD between the Flanders Marine Institute and Ghent University research I use comprehensive psychophysiological experiments with eye-tracking and VR. Are you interested in more information about the research, about the experiments and if you can participate, or want to discuss a topic for your master thesis or for a student job, don’t hesitate to contact Alexander.Hooyberg@vliz.be or Alexander.Hooyberg@UGent.be.