By Makayla Hamlin
Whether it’s the sorrowful coo of the mourning dove after dawn or the shrill whistles of the Nothern Cardinal, you’re likely to hear birdsong on the trail. Did you know that it may provide more to you than just beautiful sound?
Birds sing for all sorts of reasons. These complex vocalizations can be used to attract a mate, or at other times, to defend territory. Different feelings are stirred in their human counterparts. Research has suggested that listening to birdsong can alleviate stress and anxiety. It is far from a heavily researched topic but there are a couple of studies that support this theory.
In a 2022 German experiment affiliated with neuroscience, psychology, and psychotherapy organizations, 295 participants were subjected to two levels of “urban” traffic noises and two levels of birdsongs (one of a higher intensity and one lower).
They were being tested on their mood, state paranoia, and cognitive performance(s) and how these things changed due to each sound. The results showed that hearing birdsong correlated to a lower anxiety response, while traffic noise related to higher depression.
A 2022 British study followed 1292 participants using an app called Urban Mind to track the mental impact of seeing or hearing birds in their daily lives. It was found that there is some correlation between seeing and hearing birds and positive mental wellbeing, even when researchers accounted for other factors including other wildlife, plants, water, and personal attributes.
It is likely due to findings like these, that bird song is a popular sound used for sound therapy. Sound therapy or audio therapy is the use of sounds to encourage positive mental effects. It can be used for mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, and PTSD or to simply encourage mindfulness.
You can engage in your own form of sound therapy very easily. Go outside to the trail and listen to the birds sing. Finish up a lingering project, write a poem, sketch a tree, or just exist.
Celebrate that wonderful symphony of chirps today on National Bird Day!
Photo by Larry Tipton.
RESOURCES:
The Benefits of Bird Song by The Noise Project
Why Birds and Their Songs Are Good for Our Mental Health by Washington Post
Birdsongs alleviate anxiety and paranoia in healthy participants by Stobbe et al.
Listening to Birdsongs Can Calm Your Frayed Nerves by Forbes
Why You Should Listen to the Songs of Birds by Medium
The surprising uses for birdsong by BBC News
Why Do Birds Sing? Recent Studies Sing a New Tune About Birdsong by American Bird Conservancy
Does Sound Healing Actually Work? by Very Well Mind
