Nature Sounds, Bird Songs Reduce Stress And Boosts Mental Health, Says Study

Whenever we take a nature walk, either in a garden or at a national park surrounded by trees and different varieties of flora and fauna, whether it¡¯s the chirping of birds or simply the sound of the winds gushing amidst the trees, the experience definitely feels very calming.

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However, now a study has revealed that these sounds are actually good for our health and help in reducing feelings of stress and annoyance.

ALSO READ: Young Birds Are Forgetting Their Songs As Adults Are Dying Faster, Says Study

This is according to a study conducted by researchers who are also the leaders of the Sound and Light Ecology Team at Colorado State University, with a view to understanding the impact of noise and light pollution on ecological processes and organisms.

Why nature is good for us

They conducted a literature review and meta-analysis of 18 publications that looked at the health benefits of natural sounds. It found that exposure to natural sounds improved mood and cognitive ability whereas stress-related issues such as heart rate, blood pressure decreased considerably.

While comparing natural sounds, water sounds had the most rewarding outcome in human health. On the other hand, the sounds of birds chirping were the most stress-relieving.

Kurt Fristrup, a co-author on the study and bio-acoustical scientist at the National Park Service explained, ¡°Park sites near urban areas with higher levels of visitation represent important targets for soundscape conservation to bolster health for visitors. Nature-based health interventions are increasingly common in parks and incorporating explicit consideration of the acoustic environment is an opportunity to enhance health outcomes for people.¡±

In another section of the study, the team observed the distribution of natural sounds compared with human-made sounds at 221 sites across 68 national parks in the United States of America.

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The idea behind this was to highlight how unwanted noise affects the peace of the national parks and gardens. They found that only 11.3 percent of sites had natural soundscapes with little human-made sounds. Through all other sites, 22.8 percent of water sounds were audible whereas 42.1 percent of bird sounds were audible.

Areas with more nature sounds were mostly found in locations far from urban areas -- areas like Alaska, Hawaii or the Pacific Northwest.

Study author Rachel Buxton at Carleton University, Canada explains, ¡°In so many ways the Covid-19 pandemic has emphasised the importance of nature for human health. As traffic has declined during quarantine, many people have connected with soundscapes in a whole new way ¨C noticing the relaxing sounds of birds singing just outside their window.¡±