Love is in the mist: Science behind 'Honeymoon Capital of the World'

By Michelle Blackley Glynn

Contributing Writer

Buffalo may be the “City of Good Neighbors” but, just north in Niagara Falls, couples have been meeting, marrying and honeymooning for at least over 200 years. It was future U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr’s daughter who put Niagara Falls on the map as the “Honeymoon Capital of the World,” but the real reason why coupling may be occurring against the backdrop of a world wonder may have more to do with science than beautiful scenery. 

Negative Ions

Negative ions are everywhere in nature, and they do have some demonstrated benefits.

A 2018 review on ionization found an effect of negative ionization on human health. Researchers looked at 100 years of studies and found evidence that negative ions could: help regulate sleep patterns and mood, reduce stress, boost immune system function, increase metabolism of carbs and fats, and kill or inhibit growth of harmful bacteria, viruses and mold. 

When you are happier with yourself, energy shifts and one begins to attract better lifelong mates, according to April Eldemire, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist with more than 15 years of experience. 

There are couples that agree.

Steve and Joan Nair (Submitted)

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Steve and Joan Nair will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this May. They met in high school and were married at Sacred Heart Church in Niagara Falls. A reception was held at Grant’s on Falls Street. 

It was also a teenage romance for Jon and Sue Schultz of Lewiston. They met 60 years ago while working in the Maid of the Mist gift shop. 

“He was a stock boy,” Sue said. “We did a lot together then – the entire store did. We were always in the park, so when we had time off we would take the store van to Canada and the beach; but one place Jon took me that was really nice was the Theatre in the Round. There is a Walmart there now.”

They married in 1968, after Jon returned home from serving in Vietnam. Jon ended up working for the Maid of the Mist Corp. for over 50 years, and retired five years ago as the vice president of operations. 

“Jon came home on a Thursday and we got married that Saturday, at St. Paul’s Calvary in Niagara Falls,” Sue said. “His birthday is actually on Valentine’s Day.”

Dr. Jamil Abdur-Rahman described what happens at Niagara Falls as “real life magic.” 

“When the water droplets smash, the tight bonds that existed between the negatively and positively charged water particles are violently broken apart. With the bonds broken, both the positively and negatively charged water particles are violently thrown into the air. This process is known as The Lenard Effect. It is the release of negatively charged water particles into the air surrounding Niagara Falls that is responsible for the area’s magic,” he wrote on his blog, “The Twin Doctors.” 

Abdur-Rahman went on to explain that the process actually increases the blood flow to the brain, improvising memory, sharper thoughts, and increases the levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin; causing a better mood, reducing anxiety, and providing an overall sense of restful calm.

“I’ve seen it over and over again,” said Christopher Glynn, president, Maid of the Mist Corp. “Employees are hired for the summer, they meet, and eventually end up getting married. It happened to a longtime employee, a friend of one of my sister’s, and I actually met my wife in Niagara Falls.”

David and Kay Brown (nee Hamilton) are shown at Three Sisters Island on June 17, 1972. (Submitted photo)