People felt better after five minutes in 20°C water, and their brain networks connected more strongly
The 2023 study in the journal Biology scanned 33 healthy adults in Bournemouth before and after one dip. It had no comparison group.
The paper
Short-Term Head-Out Whole-Body Cold-Water Immersion Facilitates Positive Affect and Increases Interaction between Large-Scale Brain Networks
Yankouskaya A, Williamson R, Stacey C, Totman JJ, et al.. Biology, 2023;12(2):211.
See the study at a glance
- Design
- Single-group before-and-after study with brain imaging
- People
- 33 adults
- Who they were
- Healthy adults aged 20 to 45 (average 28.4) with no experience of cold-water immersion and no psychiatric history. Sixteen were women.
- What they did
- People sat in water at 19.93°C up to the collarbones for five minutes. A resting brain scan and a mood questionnaire came before and after.
- How long
- One session
These numbers came out of it
+7 points
Positive mood on the PANAS questionnaire rose 7 points after the dip.
−4.66 points
Negative mood on the same questionnaire fell 4.66 points.
+10.6 bpm
Heart rate rose 10.6 beats a minute 30 seconds into the immersion.
No control
Each person was compared only with themselves before the dip.
The researchers did this
Researchers in Bournemouth recruited 33 healthy adults who had never done cold-water immersion and had no psychiatric history.Source 1 · Clinical trialShort-Term Head-Out Whole-Body Cold-Water Immersion Facilitates Positive Affect and Increases Interaction between Large-Scale Brain NetworksYankouskaya A, Williamson R, Stacey C, et al.. Biology, 2023.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ Each person had a resting brain scan and filled in a mood questionnaire. Then they sat in water up to the collarbones at about 20°C for five minutes and did the scan and questionnaire again.
Positive mood rose 7 points on the PANAS questionnaire and negative mood fell 4.66 points.Source 1 · Clinical trialShort-Term Head-Out Whole-Body Cold-Water Immersion Facilitates Positive Affect and Increases Interaction between Large-Scale Brain NetworksYankouskaya A, Williamson R, Stacey C, et al.. Biology, 2023.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ People said they felt more active, alert, attentive, proud and inspired, and less nervous. Heart rate rose 10.6 beats a minute at 30 seconds.
On the scans, people whose positive mood rose more showed stronger links between four large brain networks: the default mode, frontoparietal, salience and visual networks.Source 1 · Clinical trialShort-Term Head-Out Whole-Body Cold-Water Immersion Facilitates Positive Affect and Increases Interaction between Large-Scale Brain NetworksYankouskaya A, Williamson R, Stacey C, et al.. Biology, 2023.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ That analysis used 31 usable scans.
The study can't tell you these things
- There was no control condition, so moving around, getting wet, novelty and expectation are all bundled with the cold.
- At about 20°C, the water was only mildly cold.
- It covered one session and checked mood right afterwards.
- A change in how brain networks link up after one dip doesn't show a lasting effect on mental health.
People quote it like this
Brain-scan images give this study an air of authority, and headlines have called it proof that cold water is good for you. The design had no comparison group, so the scan changes can't be pinned on the cold.Source 1 · Clinical trialShort-Term Head-Out Whole-Body Cold-Water Immersion Facilitates Positive Affect and Increases Interaction between Large-Scale Brain NetworksYankouskaya A, Williamson R, Stacey C, et al.. Biology, 2023.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗
We cited these sources
- 01Yankouskaya A, Williamson R, Stacey C, Totman JJ, Massey H. Short-Term Head-Out Whole-Body Cold-Water Immersion Facilitates Positive Affect and Increases Interaction between Large-Scale Brain Networks. Biology. 2023;12(2):211. doi:10.3390/biology12020211 PMID 36829490