Teenagers reported better mood after a cold-water course
Students reported improved mood after outdoor cold-water immersion compared with beforehand. Without a separate comparison group, the study cannot isolate an effect of the cold water.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Students reported lower mood disturbance after taking part in an outdoor cold-water immersion course, and most respondents enjoyed the experience. The before-and-after design provides evidence of a mood change around the activity. It cannot determine whether cold water caused that change, separate it from the wider course experience, or establish lasting mental health effects.
The abstract reports no separate comparison group and no later mood assessments. It also does not report adverse events, so enjoyment and short-term mood changes cannot establish the activity’s safety or longer-term effects.
What researchers found
Total Mood Disturbance questionnaire score
Before versus after immersion during the half-day course: mean pre–post score difference 23.40 (95% confidence interval 16.52–30.28), measured with the Profile of Mood States questionnaire.
What the mood score captured
The questionnaire assessed positive and negative mood states around the immersion. Positive mood measures rose and negative measures fell. These results describe participants’ reported mood at those assessments, without measuring a diagnosed mental health condition.
What the design leaves open
The students experienced an educational and practical course that included outdoor immersion. Because mood was compared only before and afterward, the study cannot distinguish the contribution of immersion from other aspects of that shared experience.
The original publication
An exploratory study into the effect of an outdoor, cold-water immersion course on mood in adolescents in Norway and the UK.
Harper CMM, Romeyke V, Shergold S et al.
J Child Adolesc Ment Health · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40560861
- Record checked
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