A Glimpse on the Effects of Water on Relaxation

The subject dealt with in this study is the effects of water on human relaxation. Human is an intricate complex of soul, mind and body. Just as the body needs nutrition, the mind and soul likewise require elements to provide them with relaxation. In urban life where high buildings and crowded streets and machines prevail, the artistic and aesthetic effects are the best resort for the exhausted and tranquility seeking mind of human. The justifi cation for this study comes from the importance of giving attention to water as the most essential and life endowing element during human life. One of these elements is water, which relieves human soul both in its fl owing and static forms. This is an obvious fact that in most cultures and civilizations water served as the major element in their genesis. The need of human soul for the nature, in order to enjoy its beauty and its relieving aspect is a subject matter that has been emphasized following the outburst of diffi culties resulting from modern life and reduced contacts of human with the natural environment. The present work will review the virtual and symbolic meanings of water among the Iranians. The necessity for this analysis comes from the role played by these meanings in giving sense to the life and consequently in proper use of water, and meanings that have been forgotten nowadays. In other words, this study, without any claim as to thorough explanation of the subject, attempts to study the role of water in refi ning the environment and mental relaxation. The data were collected through available documents and fi eld study. The results show that using water in architectural structures has infl uence on our fi ve senses, and generally results in human relaxation.