Thank You, Birds

A growing body of literature provides evidence that time spent in nature is beneficial to mental health, including better mental well-being and a lower risk of mental health problems.  Most of the research has shown the benefits of time spent in green spaces, such as forests, parks, and gardens or in blue spaces, such as near oceans, lakes, or rivers. 

A recent study investigated the impact on mental health of everyday encounters with birds because birdwatching is popular throughout the world.  Researchers assessed the association between seeing or hearing birds and self-reported mental well-being.

A total of 1,292 participants (71% female) from the UK, European Union, US, China, and Australia used the Urban Mind smartphone app to complete ecological momentary assessments, examining the mental well-being impact of encounters with birds.  All participants competed at least 25% of the 42 assessments, while 593 completed at least 50% and 196 completed at least 75% of the assessments. 

Researchers found:

• The mental well-being of participants was significantly better when seeing or hearing birds, than when not seeing or hearing birds

• The positive impact of birds was more pronounced when participants were outside

• Because they modeled seeing trees or plants, as well as seeing or hearing water as confounding variables, they were able to establish the specific benefit of encounters with birds, outside the research-supported benefits of green and blue spaces

• The benefits of encountering birds lasted up to 8 hours

• The beneficial impacts of birdlife were evident for people with depression (the most common mental health problem), as well as people with no mental health condition.

Researchers concluded that the findings of this study have implications for mental healthcare policy, but also for environmental and wildlife protection policy.

Takeaway: Prescriptions Green, Blue, and Wildlife support getting outdoors and appreciating the sights and sounds of our feathered friends for improving mental health.  We should also consider support for increasing biodiversity through environmental and wildlife protection measures.

Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix

Source

Ryan Hammoud et al., Smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment Reveals Mental Health Benefits of Birdlife, 12 Scientific Reports 17589, Oct. 27, 2022, Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment reveals mental health benefits of birdlife | Scientific Reports (nature.com).