{"id":39418,"date":"2024-08-15T21:30:42","date_gmt":"2024-08-15T19:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/d196d021-c0a5-4b68-a4d1-7c11353b6938"},"modified":"2024-08-15T22:26:39","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T20:26:39","slug":"science-proves-listening-to-nature-boosts-your-wellbeing-and-happiness","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/science-proves-listening-to-nature-boosts-your-wellbeing-and-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Science proves listening to nature boosts your wellbeing and happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you are next outdoors, take the time to stop and listen. Scientists say the sounds of nature can reduce stress, restore attention and boost mood. Open your ears and heart to nature\u2019s song and feel the benefits yourself, says Sam Pyrah <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 15 August 2024 at 19:30 PM<\/p>

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Dusk is closing in on a Kent<\/a> woodland. I am rooted to the spot, listening to a nightingale<\/a> sing from deep within a thicket. His song is so exquisite,so intricate, so stupendous, it\u2019s all I can do not to break into enraptured applause when the song gives way to silence.<\/strong><\/p>

While not all birds are maestros in the league of the nightingale<\/a>, birdsong \u2013 be it the melodic noodling of a blackbird<\/a>, the resonant refrain of a song thrush<\/a> or the tumbling notes of a chaffinch<\/a> \u2013 always lifts my mood and makes the world feel like a better place.\u00a0<\/p>

15 of the most sweet-sounding songbirds in Britain<\/a><\/li>
Birdsong in classical music: how birds have influenced and inspired the great composers<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
I\u2019m far from alone in finding comfort and joy in nature\u2019s soundscapes. \u201cThe sounds of nature have long generated powerful reactions in humans, inspiring music and poetry,\u201d says Dr Rachel Buxton, assistant professor at the Institute o f Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences at Carleton University in Canada<\/a>. <\/p>
Beethoven\u2019s \u2018Symphony No 6<\/a>\u2019 reputedly depicts the song of the nightingale, cuckoo and quail, while folk<\/a> singer Judy Collins\u2019 1970 song \u2018Farewell to Tarwathie\u2019, with the haunting accompaniment of humpback whale<\/a> song, sparked the Save the Whale campaign.\u00a0<\/p>
<\/div><\/figure><p>\u201cStudy after study has shown that people prefer the sounds of the natural world to anthropogenic [human made] sounds,\u201d says Buxton. The growing market in natural sound apps attests to this.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-does-listening-to-nature-help-our-health\">How does listening to nature help our health?<\/h2><p>But it\u2019s not just music to our ears. \u201cAn increasing body of research suggests that the acoustic environment can play an important role in human health and wellbeing,\u201d says Buxton. Her 2021 research review, pooling the results of 18 studies on natural soundscapes, reported benefits ranging from improved mood and decreased stress to lower blood pressure, a reduced perception of pain and enhanced mental performance.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/people\/experiences\/how-being-outdoors-can-improve-mental-health\">How being outdoors can improve mental health<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/wildlife-stories\/walking-in-the-countryside-boosts-self-esteem-report-finds\">Walking in the countryside boosts self-esteem, report finds<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/wellbeing-walks\">Mindfulness walks: 40 fabulous nature trails for mental and physical health<\/a><\/li><\/ul><p\/><p>Until recently, sound has played second fiddle to sight in research on the benefits of nature exposure. \u201cWhen sound was considered in experimental work, it was usually from a negative perspective \u2013 the detrimental effects of noise pollution or<br\/>how to mitigate it,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/medicine.exeter.ac.uk\/people\/profile\/index.php?web_id=Alexander_Smalley\">Dr Alex Smalley<\/a>, an environmental psychologist at the University of Exeter.<\/p><p>Smalley\u2019s research focuses on the potential positives of natural soundscapes. \u201cSound is such an integral part of how we experience and sense nature,\u201d he says. In one of his research projects, 7,500 subjects were asked to imagine a stressful situation that had left them feeling mentally and emotionally fatigued, while listening to a busy city soundscape. Next, they listened to one of a range of natural sounds and rated how calming they found it.\u00a0<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u266b Sounds of Buzzing Bees \u058e\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8Qe3KhFwFeU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>Natural sounds can be divided into biophonic \u2013 those created by living things, such as the sound of bees buzzing around flowers \u2013 and geophonic \u2013 the sounds of Earth\u2019s natural forces, such as distant thunder or waves lapping on a beach. The study found that biophonic sounds were the key ingredient.\u00a0<\/p><p>\u201cWhen we removed biophonic sounds from the soundscapes, leaving only geophonic sounds, people found them significantly less restorative, both emotionally and cognitively,\u201d says Smalley. \u201cIt mattered to people when the sound of living things was missing.\u201d<\/p><p>In other recent research, people undertook attention tasks while listening to birdsong, running water or road traffic. Not only were scores higher when they were being serenaded by nature, they also had lower heart rates and felt happier.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-do-the-sounds-of-nature-affect-us\">Why do the sounds of nature affect us?<\/h2><p>So why do the sounds of nature affect us so powerfully? Some researchers suggest that we are \u2018hardwired\u2019 to respond positively to natural sights and sounds. This idea is rooted in biophilia theory: sociobiologist Edward O Wilson\u2019s contention that our evolutionary history has conferred upon us an innate affinity with nature. <\/p><p>This means that we feel less stressed and less depleted by natural environments, making them the ideal place to restore calm, happiness and focus.<\/p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s hard to argue against the evolutionary take,\u201d says Smalley. \u201cIt is certainly part of the picture. But we can\u2019t discount the fact that the way we respond to different sounds is deeply influenced by our associations and memories. For example, studies that focus on numerical data alone might suggest that people prefer the sounds of robins and blackbirds to rooks and seagulls; but on an individual level, the cry of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/birds\/seagull-vs-gull-whats-the-difference\">seagulls <\/a>might remind you of childhood holidays in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/best-walks-in-cornwall\">Cornwall<\/a>, bringing back happy memories and leaving you with a warm nostalgic feeling.\u201d<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Red Deer Stag Bellowing\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YlUYpUsL9L0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>I can attest to this. Not everyone would find the primal bellowing of a red deer stag in rutting season a pleasant sound, but whenever I hear it, I am immediately transported to hiking up the west coast of Scotland and recall the thrill of that adventure. There could be something else at play here, too.\u00a0<\/p><p>\u201cNatural sounds have the potential to elicit feelings of awe,\u201d explains Smalley. \u201cSuch feelings can make us feel small, but in a good way. We are humbled, we worry less about ourselves and behave more altruistically.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><p>The type of awe I experienced, with a frisson of fear thrown in, is known as \u2018sublime\u2019 awe \u2013 an emotion you might feel while hearing a thunderstorm raging, or witnessing a fiery sunset. Aesthetic awe is more of a mingling of admiration and wonder: \u201cit redefines your parameters of what\u2019s possible,\u201d says Smalley. You might experience it watching a virtuoso violinist \u2013 or listening to a nightingale sing.<\/p><p>The importance of our associations with sounds was revealed by a 2016 study, in which people listened to an indistinct \u2018white noise\u2019. Those who were told it was the roar of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/britains-best-waterfalls\">waterfall<\/a> reported it to be more psychologically restorative than those who were told it was industrial machinery. \u201cThis challenges the notion that our preference for natural sounds is shaped solely by evolution,\u201d says Smalley. \u201cWe ascribe meaning to sounds and we have learned, cultural responses to them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-will-digital-sounds-work-the-same-way\">Will digital sounds work the same way?<\/h2><p>While getting into nature is the best way to experience its soundscapes, digital technology can play an important role. As I write, I have the gentle music of waves washing on a beach in the background. It\u2019s rhythmic and soothing.\u00a0<\/p><p>Some researchers are concerned, though, that substituting \u2018real life\u2019 nature with digital simulacrums, be it via headphones, screens or virtual reality headsets, will stop people seeking out nature. Buxton is concerned that it risks \u201cfurther commodification of nature\u201d.<\/p><p>But Smalley points out that the majority of research on natural sounds has used digital proxies in the lab, because it makes studies easier to conduct and control. \u201cOf course, listening to waves crashing against rocks on headphones doesn\u2019t allow you to feel the wind buffeting your face or taste the salt on your lips,\u201d he says. \u201cIt can\u2019t replace nature and nor should it attempt to. But what it can do is augment and enhance our nature experiences.\u201d<\/p><p>The example he offers is the BBC series <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/news\/how-to-watch-the-green-planet\">Green Planet<\/a><\/em>, in which digital technology \u2013 spatial audio, time lapse, macro \u2013 took us deep into the private lives of plants, making us think differently about plants we see every day.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Blackbird song | The sound of a blackbird | Bird calls UK\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YHUrUQfpODc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>Another reason digital technology must not be discounted is the fact that most of us \u2013 84% in the UK \u2013 live in towns and cities, where it isn\u2019t always easy to hear natural sounds. Smalley hopes that virtual experiences of nature could help people notice the nature around them. \u201cNature isn\u2019t only found in the countryside,\u201d he says. \u201cEven in an urban jungle, there will always be a blackbird singing on a rooftop. It just might take a little guidance and effort to tune in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><p>The reasons why natural sounds affect us so powerfully are many and varied. \u201cListening to these sounds strengthens our feeling of connection to nature and confers a sense of place,\u201d says Buxton. Smalley adds that the more we deepen our awareness of the soundscape, the more we \u2013 and nature \u2013 have to gain.\u00a0<\/p><p>\u201cInitially, you might walk past a hedgerow and pay it little attention. Then perhaps you notice birdsong, the call of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/birds\/our-guide-to-robins-where-to-see-top-facts-and-how-to-attract-robins-to-your-garden\">robin<\/a>. Then you notice the distinctive song of another bird and download an app to identify it. Over time, you can learn to recognise more of the life within the hedgerow through sound alone. Suddenly, what used to appear to be a mundane piece of greenery is revealed as a rich, biodiverse <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/plant-facts\/habitats-vs-ecosystems\">ecosystem<\/a>. These insights can help you feel more connected to the landscape, and might even nudge you to behave in a more pro-environmental way.\u201d<\/p><p>With natural environments in an increasingly perilous state, changing the way we relate to the ecosystems around us has never been more important. Listening to nature\u2019s own incredible orchestra could help to improve not just your own health, but the health of the planet, too.\u00a0<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you are next outdoors, take the time to stop and listen. 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