New Research Shows Listening to Birdsong Can Prevent Anxiety, Delusions, and Enhance Cognitive Abilities.
A study conducted with 300 participants was published in the journal Scientific Reports on October 13. Experts examined how noise from traffic and birdsong affects mood, delusions, and cognitive abilities.
Birdsong helps reduce anxiety and stress. (Photo: AdobeStock)
Participants were exposed to either traffic noise or birdsong for six minutes. Before and after listening to the audio, they completed a questionnaire assessing their mental health and performed cognitive tests.
“Everyone has certain psychological tendencies. Healthy individuals may experience temporary anxious thoughts or delusions. The survey allowed us to identify these tendencies without diagnosing depression, anxiety, or delusions,” stated the study’s author, Dr. Emil Stobbe.
The study found that listening to birdsong reduces anxiety and delusions in healthy individuals. In contrast, traffic noise often exacerbates depressive states, particularly segments with various types of vehicles.
The positive impact of birdsong on mood has been mentioned before. However, according to the authors, this is the first experimental study demonstrating the effects of birdsong on human health.
According to scientists, these results pave the way for further research, such as how to interact with surrounding noise in different situations or examining its effects on patients with anxiety and delusion disorders.
Experts recommend listening to CDs with birdsong or taking walks outdoors in tree-rich areas to improve mood. Previous studies have also indicated that walking for an hour in a natural environment reduces stress in the brain.
