Overview: Using an app called Urban Minds, researchers found a direct link between positive moods and seeing and hearing birds.
sauce: King’s College London
A new study from King’s College London found that watching and listening to birds was associated with improved mental health lasting up to eight hours.
This improvement was also evident in people diagnosed with depression, the most common mental illness in the world, indicating the potential role of birds in helping people with mental health conditions. increase.
was announced in scientific reports, The study used the smartphone application Urban Mind to collect real-time reports of people’s mental health along with reports of seeing or hearing birdsong.
Lead author Ryan Hammoud, Research Assistant at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, said: Birds lift our spirits. However, few studies have actually investigated the impact of birds on mental health in real time and in real environments.
“By using the Urban Mind app, we are the first to show that there is a direct link between seeing and hearing birds and a positive mood. I hope I can show the importance of protecting and providing an environment that encourages birds, not just for our mental health.”
The study, conducted between April 2018 and October 2021, involved 1,292 participants using the Urban Minds app developed by King’s College London, landscape architect J&L Gibbons, and the arts foundation’s Nomad Project. Completed 26,856 evaluations using
Participants were recruited from all over the world, with the majority based in the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States.
The app asks participants three times a day if they can see or hear birds, then asks the researchers to establish a relationship between the two and estimate how long this relationship lasts. , asked questions about mental health.
The study also collected information on pre-existing diagnoses of mental health conditions and found that listening to and watching BirdLife was associated with improved mental well-being in both healthy and depressed people. I discovered that there is
Researchers have shown that the relationship between birds and mental health cannot be explained by concurrent environmental factors such as the presence of trees, plants and waterways.
Lead author Andrea Mekeli, Professor of Mental Health Early Interventions at IoPPN, King’s College London, said: However, scientifically proving these benefits can be difficult.
“Our research provides evidence for creating and supporting biodiversity spaces inhabited by birds, as it is strongly associated with our mental health.” The results support the implementation of measures to increase the chances of people encountering birds, especially those with mental health conditions such as depression.”
Jo Gibbons, Research Partner and Landscape Architect at J & L Gibbons, said: A multi-sensory experience that enriches everyday life regardless of mood or location.
“This exciting study confirms how much moods can be lifted by watching and listening to birdsong. It’s fascinating evidence that biodiversity environments are restorative for mental health.” The sensual stimulation of birdsong is a precious and long-lasting part of our daily intake of nature. ”
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About this mental health research news
author: press office
sauce: King’s College London
contact: Press Office – King’s College London
image: image is public domain
Original research: open access.
“Smartphone-based Ecological Instant Assessment Reveals BirdLife Mental Health BenefitsBy Ryan Hammoud et al. scientific report
Overview
Smartphone-based Ecological Instant Assessment Reveals BirdLife Mental Health Benefits
The mental health benefits of daily encounters with birds are not well understood. Previous studies have typically relied on retrospective questionnaires and artificial set-ups with little ecological validity.
This study used the Urban Mind smartphone application to examine the effects of seeing and hearing birds on self-reported mental health in real-world situations. A sample of 1292 participants completed a total of 26,856 ecological instant assessments between April 2018 and October 2021.
Daily encounters with birds were associated with sustained improvements in mental health. These improvements were evident not only in healthy people, but also in those diagnosed with depression, the most common mental illness worldwide.
These findings may have implications for both environmental and wildlife conservation and mental health policy. Specific measures aimed at maintaining and increasing daily encounters with birds in urban areas should be implemented.
