The feeling of chirping: Being around birds has been linked to long-term mental health benefits

Abstract: Using an app called Urban Mind, researchers found a direct link between positive mood and seeing or hearing birds.

Source: King’s College London

New research from King’s College London has found that watching or listening to birds is linked to an improvement in mental well-being that can last up to eight hours.

This improvement is also seen in people diagnosed with depression—the world’s most common mental illness—suggesting a potential role for bird life in helping people with mental health problems.

Published in Scientific reports, the study used the smartphone app Urban Mind to collect people’s real-time reports of mental well-being alongside their reports of seeing or hearing birdsong.

Lead author Ryan Hammoud, research assistant at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, said: “There is increasing evidence of the mental health benefits of being in nature and we intuitively think that the presence of birdsong and birds would However, there is little research that has actually investigated the impact of birds on mental health in real time and in a real environment.

“Using the Urban Mind application, we have shown for the first time a direct connection between watching or listening to birds and a positive mood. We hope that this evidence can demonstrate the importance of protecting and providing an environment to encourage birds, not only for biodiversity but also for our mental health.”

The study was conducted between April 2018 and October 2021, with 1,292 participants completing 26,856 assessments using the Urban Mind app developed by King’s College London, landscape architects J&L Gibbons and arts foundation Nomad Projects.

Participants were recruited worldwide, with the majority from the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States of America.

The app asked participants three times a day if they could see or hear birds, followed by questions about mental well-being so the researchers could make a connection between the two and assess how long that connection lasted.

The study also collected information on existing diagnoses of mental health conditions and found that listening to or watching birdlife was associated with improvements in mental well-being in both healthy people and those with depression.

The researchers showed that the links between birds and mental well-being could not be explained by shared environmental factors such as the presence of trees, plants or waterways.

Senior author Andrea Mechelli, Professor of Early Intervention in Mental Health at the IoPPN, King’s College London, said: “The term ecosystem service is often used to describe the benefits of certain aspects of the natural environment on our physical and mental health. However, it can be difficult to prove these benefits scientifically.

“Our study provides an evidence base for creating and supporting biodiverse bird habitats, as this is closely linked to our mental health. In addition, the findings support the implementation of measures to increase opportunities for people to encounter birds, especially for those living with mental illnesses such as depression.”

Research partner and landscape architect Jo Gibbons, of J & L Gibbons, said: “Who hasn’t tuned in to the melodic complexities of dawn’s chorus early on a spring morning? A multi-sensory experience that seems to enrich everyday life, regardless of our mood or location.

“This exciting research confirms how much the sight and sound of birdsong lift the mood. It contains intriguing evidence that a biodiverse environment is restorative in terms of mental well-being. That the sensual stimulation of birdsong, part of those daily ‘doses’ of nature, is precious and long-lasting.”

About this mental health research news

Author: Press office
Source: King’s College London
Contact: Press Office – King’s College London
Picture: The image is in the public domain

Original research: Open access.
“A current smartphone-based ecological assessment reveals the mental health benefits of birdlife” by Ryan Hammoud et al. Scientific reports

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Abstract

A current smartphone-based ecological assessment reveals the mental health benefits of birdlife

The mental health benefits of daily birdlife encounters are poorly understood. Previous studies have typically relied on retrospective questionnaires or artificial settings with little ecological validity.

In this study, we used the smartphone app Urban Mind to examine the impact of watching or listening to birds on self-reported mental well-being in a real-life context. A sample of 1,292 participants completed a total of 26,856 current environmental assessments between April 2018 and October 2021.

Daily encounters with birds are linked to long-term improvements in mental well-being. These improvements were visible not only in healthy people, but also in those diagnosed with depression, the most common mental illness in the world.

These findings have potential implications for environmental and wildlife conservation and mental health policy. It is necessary to implement special measures aimed at preserving and increasing the daily encounter with birds in urban areas.