Contact with nature in general is a source of well-being. Many studies have already shown this. And whether it’s by the sea, in the forest or simply in a garden, birdsong is an integral part of the landscape. This is why a British team set out to validate the individual impact of this tune on our mental health.
“We had the intuition that the presence of birds, and their singing, could cheer us up”says Ryan Hammoud of King’s College London and principal author of this work. To prove it, the team used him Urban mindan application that measures the user’s experience in his place of life, urban or rural, at a given moment.
More than 1,200 participants recruited from around the world answered the app’s questions 3 times a day between April 2018 and 2021. The questions focused on seeing or hearing birdsong and mental well-being.
The result is clear: “seeing or hearing birds is associated with improved mental well-being and can last up to 8 hours after exposure”, conclude the authors. They add that this benefit occurs regardless of context: i.e. whether birdsong was heard in the city or in a natural setting including other well-being factors such as the presence of trees or the sound of a stream.
All the more reason to support the League for the Protection of Birds.
