are birds good for anxiety

All that talk about nature’s benefits isn’t for the birds. A host of research has shown that spending time in nature is profoundly good for your mental and physical health. Not only that, but new studies show that looking at and listening to birds themselves could be good for our mental well-being, according to The Washington Post.

There’s something about being around birds that is profoundly good for human beings, as they connect us to the natural world, say two new studies published in Scientific Reports. “The special thing about birdsongs is that even if people live in very urban environments and do not have a lot of contact with nature, they link the songs of birds to vital and intact natural environments,” said Emil Stobbe, an environmental neuroscience grad student at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and author of one of the studies.

In one study, 1,300 participants were asked to track their environment and mental well-being three times a day using an app called Urban Mind.

Researchers found “a significant positive association between seeing or hearing birds and improved mental well-being,” separate from being around greenery or water, which have their own associations with better mental health.

Not only that, but if participants encountered a bird during the day, their positive outlook lasted for hours. It’s a “time-lasting link,” said Ryan Hammoud, a PhD candidate at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London and an author of the study. “People with depression do show positive effects toward birdsong and birdlife in the area,” he noted, although birds appeared to benefit healthy participants as well.

A second study showed that when healthy participants listened to short (6-minute) audio clips of birdsong, they had decreased feelings of anxiety, depression, and paranoia.

Although being out in nature is healing in itself, “Listening to birdsong through headphones was able to hit the same pathways that might be beneficial toward mental well-being,” said Hammoud, who was not involved in the second study. “That’s a very, very nice finding.”

In the second study, 295 online participants were randomly assigned to listened to either traffic noise or birdsong. The subjects then noted their emotional and cognitive states after the exercise.

Traffic noise increased depression symptoms among participants. Those who listened to birdsong reported positive changes, and the more diverse the birdsong recordings, the more positive the effects. Participants who listened to two kinds of birds reported decreases in feelings of anxiety and paranoia, while those who listened to diverse recordings of eight species of birds reported decreased depression symptoms as well.

The research shows the “healing aspects of nature, or also the not-so-positive effects of urban surroundings,” said Stobbe, who co-authored the second study.

Birds are a link between ourselves and nature, said Stobbe, and the more we feel connected to nature, the better we feel.

But why? One hypothesis, the attention restoration theory, argues that “being in nature is good for improving concentration and decreasing the mental fatigue associated with living in stressful urban environments.” The sounds of the natural world, like birdsong, may enable us to engage in “soft fascination,” which simultaneously holds our attention and allows it to replenish.

Being outside in nature — and listening to birdsong — both reduce stress. Prior research discovered that spending time in green spaces outdoors can lower blood pressure and cortisol levels, Hammoud said.

Nature — and birdsong — also reduce stress. Previous research has found that time spent in green outdoor spaces can lower blood pressure and cortisol levels, Hammoud explained.

When people took walks in nature as opposed to an urban environment, they reported less rumination, which is linked to a risk of depression, neuroimaging studies have shown. And spending time outdoors encourages physical activity, which offers a host of physical and mental health benefits.

Going out to see birds also tends to encourage more physical activity, which has its own panoply of mental health benefits, and exercising outdoors may, in turn, magnify the health benefits of exercise.

Being aware and present to the birds around you boosts their beneficial effects. A new preliminary study found that birdwatchers who paid attention to the joy they felt for each bird experienced a greater mental health boost than those who merely counted the birds they saw.

So step outside. Be attentive. Listen to the birds. In no time, you may be feeling “happy as a lark.”

Check out Smartphone applications like Merlin Bird ID and BirdNet that help you identify birds by their bird call.

The app eBird also helps identify the bird you are seeing from its size, colors, and location.

Sima, Richard. “Why birds and their songs are good for our mental health.” The Washington Post, 18 May 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/interactive/2023/birds-song-nature-mental-health-benefits/?itid=sr_10.

Birds are a way to connect with nature, which is associated with better body and brain health, research showsWarning: This graphic requires JavaScript. Please enable JavaScript for the best experience.

Looking to improve your mental health? Pay attention to birds.

According to two studies that were published in Scientific Reports last year, seeing or hearing birds may be beneficial for our mental health.

Thus, listen to them and discover why they might be helpful.

Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that increased exposure to and engagement with nature are linked to improved physical and mental well-being.

It seems that birds are a particular source of these therapeutic advantages. They let us stay connected to nature and are present practically everywhere. And we can still enjoy their songs even if they are concealed by trees or brush. Story continues below advertisementAdvertisementStory continues below advertisementAdvertisement.

“The special thing about birdsongs is that even if people live in very urban environments and do not have a lot of contact with nature, they link the songs of birds to vital and intact natural environments,” said Emil Stobbe, an environmental neuroscience graduate student at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and author of one of the studies.

Additionally, according to recent research, listening to their song recordings—even with headphones—can lessen depressive feelings.

Being around birds is associated with better mental health

Regular interactions with birds are linked to improved mental health

In one study, researchers asked about 1,300 participants to collect information about their environment and well-being three times a day using a smartphone app called Urban Mind.

The participants were not made aware that the researchers were studying birds; in addition, information about other essentials like location, subjective air quality assessments, and sleep quality was being gathered by the app. However, the 26,856 assessments provided a wealth of information about real-time, real-world factors related to mental health.

By analyzing the data, the researchers found a significant positive association between seeing or hearing birds and improved mental well-being, even when accounting for other possible explanations such as education, occupation, or the presence of greenery and water, which have themselves been associated with positive mental health.

The benefits persisted well beyond the bird encounter. Even if participants did not see or hear birds at the subsequent check-in, their mental health was, on average, better hours later if they had previously reported seeing or hearing birds.

Ryan Hammoud, a PhD candidate at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London and an author of the study, called it a “time-lasting link.”

Fascinatingly, the birds help both participants in good health and those with depression, one of the most prevalent mental illnesses globally that doesn’t always respond to traditional medication treatments.

According to Hammoud, this has an intriguing implication for efforts to maintain and protect environments that support bird life, as individuals with depression do exhibit positive effects toward nearby birdsong and birdlife. ”Story continues below advertisementAdvertisementStory continues below advertisementAdvertisement.

Why nature and birds may benefit us

According to Stobbe, birds foster a sense of connectedness with nature and its health benefits; the closer we are to nature, the greater our ability to reap those benefits.

One hypothesis on nature’s salubrious effects, known as the attention restoration theory, posits that being in nature is good for improving concentration and decreasing the mental fatigue associated with living in stressful urban environments. Natural stimuli, such as birdsong, may allow us to engage in “soft fascination,” which holds our attention but also allows it to replenish.

Nature — and birdsong — also reduce stress. Previous research has found that time spent in green outdoor spaces can lower blood pressure and cortisol levels, Hammoud said.

Although the exact effects of birdsong on our brains are still unknown, neuroimaging studies have revealed that other types of exposure to nature cause the brain to respond by reducing stress.

Walking in nature vs. an urban environment decreased self-reported rumination, which is linked to a risk of depression and other mental illnesses, and decreased activity in a part of the brain’s prefrontal cortex associated with rumination. Viewing green scenery engages the posterior cingulate cortex, which is associated with behavioral stress responses and may help regulate the reduction in stress responses from nature exposure.

Observing birds outside also tends to stimulate increased physical activity, which has a variety of positive effects on mental health. Exercising outside may therefore enhance the positive effects of exercise on health.

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