Did You Know That Water Can React Like Humans and Express Emotions?
Can water exposed to beautiful music form different crystal shapes compared to water surrounded by noise?
On March 12, George Yen, who previously founded a globally marketed water purifier company, was invited by the Irvine Book Club to lead a discussion on The Hidden Messages in Water. The book’s fascinating claims left attendees amazed, while Yen’s professional analysis of bottled and tap water sparked numerous questions, leading to an engaging discussion both in-person and online.
Yen explained that The Hidden Messages in Water, published 24 years ago, was written by Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto. The book explores water’s energy and its ability to transmit information, demonstrating through water crystal experiments how water reacts to human consciousness, emotions, and external influences such as music.
According to Emoto, experiments showed that frozen water crystals formed under different conditions displayed varied structures. For example, when water was exposed to beautiful music or labeled with positive words such as "love" and "gratitude," the ice crystals formed symmetrical and intricate patterns. In contrast, water exposed to negative words or noise resulted in chaotic and incomplete crystal structures.
This concept raises an intriguing question: If water can indeed be influenced by messages, could the water we drink also affect our physical and mental well-being? This led participants to further reflect on the importance of water treatment—not only from a physical and chemical standpoint but also in terms of its "energetic quality." For instance, many high-quality mineral waters originate from natural springs—could their purity and benefits be linked to their natural flow and long-term geological filtration?
Yen also noted that the research methods presented in the book lacked rigorous control variables and reproducible conditions compared to traditional scientific experiments. As a result, when the book was first published, many scientists were skeptical of its conclusions. However, he believes that the book offers a fresh perspective that encourages people to rethink the relationship between water and life.
Science still holds many mysteries—such as the "observer effect" in quantum physics and its potential connection to human consciousness. If science and philosophy could be integrated and water’s properties explored with greater scientific rigor, new research directions might emerge, leading to a deeper understanding of the true mysteries of water.
During this special book discussion, Yen not only introduced The Hidden Messages in Water and shared key insights on drinking water safety but also brought over ten types of bottled water as prizes for a quiz session. The event attracted over a hundred participants both in-person and online, creating a lively and engaging atmosphere.
With 15 years of experience in the water purification industry, Yen also took the opportunity to address critical questions, such as whether tap water is safe for direct consumption and what type of water is the safest to drink. Click below to read more:
Can Tap Water Be Safely Consumed?
According to George Yen, this question is not easy to answer directly! It depends on where you live and the source of your local tap water. Some cities may have two different water supply systems, and the condition of the pipes in your neighborhood can also affect whether tap water reaches your home without secondary contamination.
Yen emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between utility water and portable (drinking) water. The water provided by municipal treatment plants is classified as utility water, which is used for washing vegetables, dishes, laundry, flushing toilets, and bathing. However, the water we consume should be portable (drinking) water.
How to Choose the Right Bottled Water?
With so many types of bottled drinking water on the market, how do we make the right choice? Yen explains that both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have strict regulations regarding bottled water labeling.
According to FDA guidelines:
- Mineral Water must come from an underground source and naturally contain at least 250 ppm (mg/L) of total dissolved solids (TDS). These minerals must originate from the water source itself and cannot be artificially added.
The FDA classifies bottled water into different categories:
- Spring Water – Originates from an underground water source that naturally flows to the surface or is extracted. A common example is Arrowhead Spring Water.
- Artesian Water – Comes from a confined aquifer under pressure and does not require pumping. A well-known example is Fiji Water.
- Mineral Water – Contains natural minerals and cannot have additional minerals added. A famous example is Evian from France.
- Purified Water – Includes distilled water and reverse osmosis (RO) water, where most minerals and impurities have been removed.
In recent years, even more varieties of bottled water have emerged, such as alkaline water, electrolyte water, and glacier water.
What’s the Best Choice?
If you must buy bottled water, Yen suggests that purified water is a cost-effective option. Typically, a 24-pack of 500ml purified water bottles costs around $3 USD, making it an affordable and practical choice. These purified bottled waters are processed using Reverse Osmosis (RO) filtration, which is currently the most effective method for water purification.
Book Profile :
📖 Title: The Hidden Messages in Water
📖 Author: Masaru Emoto
📅 Published: 2001
🌊 Theme: Water, energy, consciousness, and environment
🔍 Overview:
This book explores how water reacts to words, music, and emotions. Photos show that positive influences create beautiful, symmetrical crystals, while negative ones result in chaotic shapes.
Click to read the book club's PPT presentation
你知道「水」像人一樣，也會有情感反映？天天聽美妙音樂和被噪音籠罩的「水」，會有不一樣的結晶形狀？
曾經因創辦製造淨水器公司，產品行銷全球的顏毓佐，3/12受爾灣讀書會之邀，為大家導讀《水的奧秘》（The Hidden Messages in Water)專書，該書作者的上述論證，不僅讓與會者嘖嘖稱奇，顏毓佐對各種瓶裝水和自來水的專業分析，引起大家爭相提問，現場、線上討論熱烈 ！
顏毓佐指出，《水的奧秘》這本書出版至今已廿四年，是由日本科學家江本勝（Masaru Emoto）所著，主要探討水的能量與訊息傳遞能力，並透過水結晶實驗來展示水對於人類意識、情緒、音樂等外界影響的反應。
作者江本勝在書中表示，透過實驗發現，水在不同條件下的冷凍冰晶形狀會產生變化。例如當對著水播放美麗的音樂或貼上「愛」、「感謝」等正面詞語時，冰晶結構呈現對稱、精美的形狀。當水暴露在負面詞語或噪音時，冰晶結構則顯得混亂、不完整。
作者提出反思 : 假若水真的能夠被訊息影響，那麼我們喝下的水，是否也會影響身心狀態？這讓大家進一步思考 : 水處理技術，不僅是物理與化學層面的問題，也許水的「能量品質」同樣重要。例如，許多高品質的礦泉水來自天然湧泉，是否與其天然流動的環境和長時間的地質過濾也有關？
顏毓佐指出，這本書中所提到的研究方法和傳統科學實驗相比，缺乏嚴謹的控制變數與可重複驗證的條件，因此當年本書出版後，不少學者對其結論，都抱持懷疑態度。但他認為這本書提供一種全新視角，讓人重新思考水與生命的關聯。
尤其科學仍有許多未解之謎，例如量子物理學中「觀察者效應」與意識的關係，也可能與水的行為有所關聯。如果能將科學與哲學結合，並以更嚴謹方式來探究水的特性，或許能開啟新的研究方向，進一步理解水真正的奧秘。
爾灣讀書會這場專書導讀活動，顏毓佐既為大家導讀「水的奧秘」、分享安全喝水的秘訣，還帶來十餘種瓶裝水作為有獎問答獎品，包括現場和線上吸引上百人參加，場面熱鬧非凡。
由於顏毓佐從事淨水器製造業有十五年經驗，他也藉導讀機會，為大家說明包括自來水是否可以生飲、該喝什麼水最安全......等問題？請點選閱讀 :
針對自來水可以生飲嗎？顏毓佐表示，這個問題很難直接回答！除要看你所住區域，還要知道當地的自來水源？因為你所居住的城市，可能有兩個不同的供水系統。還有所居住社區的管線新舊，也會影響自來水到你家是不是會受到第二度污染？
他認為大家要建立使用水(Utility Water)跟飲用水(Portable Water)分開的觀念。自來水廠提供的水源，就叫使用水(Utility Water)，用來洗菜，洗碗，洗衣服，沖馬桶，洗澡。我們要喝的水，就是飲用水( Portable Water) 。
市面上有那麼多種瓶裝飲用水，要如何選擇呢？顏毓佐表示，美國食品藥物管理局( Food and Drug Administration )( FDA) 以及環保署（EPA），對於飲用水標籤都有明文規定。
FDA 規定礦泉水（Mineral Water） 必須來自地下水源，並且自然含有至少 250 ppm（mg/L）以上的總溶解固體（TDS)，這些礦物質必須來自水源本身，而非人工添加。
根據 FDA 規定，瓶裝水可分為不同類型，包括：
- Spring Water（泉水）：來自地下水層，自然湧出或經抽取。常見的是 Arrowhead Spring Water。
- Artesian Water（自流井水）：來自壓力含水層，無需人工泵送，常見的是 Fiji.
- Mineral Water（礦泉水）：含天然礦物質，且不能進行礦物質添加，常見的是法國的 Evian
- Purified Water（純淨水）：如蒸餾水、逆滲透水，去除了大部分礦物質。
這幾年市面上又出現更多新的種類，譬如鹼性水(Alkaline Water) 、電解質水( Electrolytes Water) 甚至冰川水 (Glacier Water)等等。
顏毓佐表示，如果真的要買瓶裝水，他認為挑選純淨水( Purified Water) 是一種經濟實惠的選擇，這些瓶裝水通常24瓶(500cc/ 瓶)在美金三塊錢左右，經濟又實惠。這些瓶裝水都是用 Reverse Osmosis 逆滲透過濾處理，是目前最最好的處理方式。
本書小檔案 :
水的奧秘（The Hidden Messages in Water）
📖 作者：江本勝（Masaru Emoto）
📅 出版年份：2001年
🌊 主題：水的結晶與能量、意識與環境的關聯
🔍 內容概述：
本書透過水結晶照片，展示水如何受到外在環境、文字、音樂、情緒與意念的影響。作者透過實驗發現，當水接收到正向詞語（如「愛」、「感謝」）或美妙音樂時，結晶形狀美麗對稱；受到負面詞語或噪音影響時，會形成混亂、不規則形狀。