Learning to slow down: cold-water swimming benefits explored in new study

Taking a freezing dip in a lake or the sea is a valued well-being practice in the world’s happiest country. In Finland, over 720,000 people (about 1 in every 8) are regular cold-water swimmers, voluntarily plunging into water below 15°C (59°Fahrenheit) or colder, on average 2-3 times per week. Now, a new study examines how this practice enables individuals to transform initial discomfort into moments of calm and presence, offering a surprisingly effective antidote to the digital rat race.

How can something so physically excruciating be so often described as restorative by participants? This was the question that piqued the interest of Finland-based researcher Tatsiana Padhaiskaya, who began studying cold-water swimming three years ago after reading a news article about its benefits for well-being. To her surprise, her research confirmed that individuals overwhelmingly describe the experience as therapeutic and grounding.

‘It appears that cold-water swimming, which also includes ice-swimming [below 5°C], has a temporal slow-down effect that is especially fascinating in the context of this fast-paced digital world,’ says Padhaiskaya, from Aalto University School of Business. ‘Even a very short dip — from as little as a couple of minutes — reportedly offered participants comparable mental health benefits to, say, two hours walking in the forest.’ 

Various body techniques, such as controlled breathing and slow movements in the water, help individuals to manage stress and achieve mental clarity, she explains. ‘We draw on both mental and physical techniques to handle the extreme nature of the experience,’ says Padhaiskaya. Most importantly, regular cold-water swimmers said they can re-create the same feelings of calm and focus in stressful situations in work and everyday life. 

‘It results in a form of embodied learning that offers people resilience and mental clarity even when they’re out of the water. It’s evidence that we may not need a radical life change to feel better — we can learn to slow down within our everyday routine,’ she adds.

The natural, unstructured context is also important; lakes and the sea are popular places to take a dip, and swimmers have total freedom to choose the length and frequency of their own experience. The opportunity to "feel" and immerse in nature is especially valuable for knowledge workers who are spending most of their days in front of the screen, says the researcher. 

What individuals and businesses can learn from cold-swimming research

As a consumer behaviour researcher, Padhaiskaya emphasizes that the implications of her recent study go beyond understanding the benefits of a ‘quirky’ Nordic well-being practice. 

‘Cold-water swimming became a lens for understanding slowing down in modern life,’ she says. ‘This research shows us that temporal slow-down is a learned skill that helps consumers navigate an increasingly accelerated world.’

For businesses, especially in the wellness and leisure sector, the findings point to a shift in how experiences can be designed and promoted. Instead of offering overly scripted ‘perfect escapes’ companies can create flexible, accessible experiences that encourage exploration and autonomy. 

‘From a business perspective, the opportunity lies in promoting services not just as a form of relaxation but as tools that help people cope with fast-paced life and build lasting well-being,’ Padhaiskaya says.

Learning to slow down: an inquiry of cold-water swimming in Finland, European Journal of Marketing, published 31 Oct, 2025 - DOI: 10.1108/EJM-06-2023-0449