Health News and Tips:

Why Birds And Their Songs Are Good For Our Mental Health

by Richard Sima - Washington Post

Note - the original article was very long at 1,318 words, so I asked Google's AI tool Bard to summarise it. The summary article is 287 words - not long.

On a personal note - during our various Covid-enforced Lockdowns, my wife and I got out almost every day to walk. Waikumete Cemetary was a safe. place for us, just around the corner from home. We noticed hosts of birds, especially Tui, and they brought us great joy, just as the article suggests.

The summary

• Two studies published in Scientific Reports in 2022 found that seeing or hearing birds can improve mental well-being.
• The benefits of being around birds are seen in both healthy people and those with depression.
• Listening to birdsongs can alleviate feelings of anxiety, depression, and paranoia.
• The benefits of birdsong are thought to be due to nature's calming and restorative effects.
• There are a number of ways to get the most out of birds, including being aware of their presence, being curious about them, getting involved in birdwatching, and being present when you are with them.

Here are some additional details from the article:

• The first study, conducted by researchers at King's College London, involved 1,300 participants who used a smartphone app to track their mental well-being and interactions with birds. The researchers found that participants who reported seeing or hearing birds had significantly better mental well-being than those who did not.
• The second study, conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, involved 295 randomly assigned to listen to birdsongs or traffic noise. The researchers found that participants who listened to birdsongs had significantly lower levels of anxiety, depression, and paranoia than those who listened to traffic noise.

The researchers who conducted these studies believe that the benefits of birdsong are due to nature's calming and restorative effects. They suggest that spending time in nature, listening to birdsongs, and observing birds can all help to improve mental well-being.

If you are looking for ways to improve your mental health, consider spending time in nature, listening to birdsongs, or observing birds. You may be surprised at how much better you feel.

The original article can be found here - and includes embedded audio recordings of real birds (North American though).