In the vintage Merrie Melodies cartoon titled “Wabbit Twouble” Elmer Fudd merrily motors his way to Jellostone National Park for a “westful wacation in the mountains.” He sets up his campsite only to be incessantly pestered by Bugs Bunny: a known “wascal”.  During the trip Fudd also accidentally riles a grizzly bear and Fudd is forced to leave in an angry huff. On his way out of the park he takes his aggression out on the entrance sign with an ax and lands in jail. But he is satisfied the solitude of confinement will provide him: “west and wewaxation at wast!"

Fudd may have been better off if he had chosen a seaside destination according to new research from Europe that was presented this week at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in London.

Katherine Ashbullby and Dr. Mathew White from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health and their team based their conclusions on Natural England’s survey of 2,750 people and their “engagement with the natural environment.”

They found that people associate all outdoor locations with positive feelings. However, the research also found that a visit to an urban park isn’t as refreshing as a visit to the beach or country.

The researchers took into account factors that could be stressing like the distance traveled to the get-away spot (long drives are almost never fun) and how crowded the area was with other vacationers (crowds make some people cranky). They also looked at the age of the participants and what activity they were there to engage in once at their destination. One can imagine that a trip dedicated to whitewater rafting or any bracing and strenuous activity could cause undue stress. But then again so could a peaceful campsite and nature walk amongst bears as we saw with Fudd.

Dr. White said,"There is a lot of work on the beneficial effects of visiting natural environments, but our findings suggest it is time to move beyond a simple urban vs rural debate and start looking at the effect that different natural environments have on people's health and well-being."

Could a forest be more peaceful than the seashore? The ocean better than a lake? Can a desert be comforting and awe-inspiring at the same time?

The preference likely has much to do with where you live, where you’ve been and haven’t been. After all, isn’t the entire point of a vacation or day trip to get away from the stress of daily life and routine?