Sounds are an important part of perception. For most, the sensation of hearing complements the view of their environment, helping them further immerse in it. Given this, living in Boston may prevent most students from experiencing nature to its fullest. While parks and gardens around the city allow people to view greenery, most still cannot say they wake up to the sound of chirping birds in the morning. Combined with the noise from city traffic, these gardens fall just short of imitating natural ecosystems, which is particularly important in considering Bostonians’ well-being. It has been known that the presence of nature positively impacts mood. To further these claims, experiments over the past decade have also seen positive impacts of birdsongs on anxiety — a feeling known to intensify as midterm weeks and project deadlines creep up.
A recent study performed by researchers from the Max Planck Institute and the University of Hamburg found that participants who listened to birdsongs, as opposed to city noise, reported a reduction in depressive moods, anxiety, and paranoia. It is not hard to imagine this effect — for most, the sound of birds would seem more pleasant and comforting than car horns and sirens. The question, however, is how this effect happens. The researchers suggested multiple reasons for this phenomenon, including positive associations with nature, diverting one’s attention from stressors, and indicating low threat levels.
Listening to birdsongs can provide individuals with an auditory experience of nature, allowing them to immerse in a natural environment with their auditory senses.
Having a connection with nature may be more important to some individuals than others, but nonetheless, studies have seen positive impacts of nature on people’s moods and mental health. Listening to birdsongs can provide individuals with an auditory experience of nature, allowing them to immerse in a natural environment with their auditory senses. Based on a study conducted by researchers from the University of Surrey, some claim that feeling connected with nature by listening to birdsongs helped them disconnect from their stressors. Others reported feeling grounded, feeling this connection with nature helped put their stressors into perspective. These may be possible due to the difference between nature and the urban environment in which most people find their stressors. However, because each individual has a different experience with nature, the effects of this connection would differ as well. This would explain that while the reports of the participants were similar, they were not identical. For some, feeling connected to nature did not have an effect on their mood at all. This was particularly apparent in those who do not enjoy being in nature.
Daily stressors greatly contrast with birdsongs for city dwellers in particular. This makes birdsongs a good source of distraction from these stressors. Stressors indicate a degree of threat, which makes them energetically demanding to regulate. On the other hand, it can be easy to direct one’s attention toward birdsongs as it requires little effort and can carry various positive associations. While listening to seagulls, for example, some individuals may remember a nice day at the beach. Some cultures may even carry important associations with certain birds, contributing to how individuals interpret and perceive certain birdsongs. These positive feelings can be effective tools for mitigating the fatigue brought upon by stress. Listeners can lift difficult thoughts from their minds, replacing them with low-energy thoughts that additionally boost their moods. In contrast to the threatening ambiance of stressors, the positive associations brought by birdsongs indicate low threat; after all, no negative consequence could arise from peaceful memories. These conditions bring about an ideal sensory stimulation promoting relaxation while the mood boost from positive associations may aid in fighting depressive feelings.
In contrast to the threatening ambiance of stressors, the positive associations brought by birdsongs indicate low threat; after all, no negative consequence could arise from peaceful memories.
Not all birds are treated the same, however. One may note differences between the honks of geese versus the chirps of robins. Yet, it is difficult to generalize different birdsongs into categories. How individuals feel about these sounds may be a matter of association. Some could be reminiscent of a quiet meadow while others give the unpleasant image of predation or death. Birdsongs that bring peaceful memories to mind both provide positive associations with nature and signal a low-threat environment, which could aid stress recovery.
Life in the city can bring about many stressors, especially for students. With reminders of these appearing anywhere in sight, perhaps it would be best to close one’s eyes, put on some earbuds, and listen to chirping birdsongs for a while.
Image courtesy of Becky Matsubara
