As summer comes to an end, even adults are struggling with that “back to school” feeling as they return to stressful commutes on packed trains. But instead of listening to podcasts or music, opting for a natural soundtrack like birds chirping or a waterfall could be the key to a more “zen” commute, a study has found.
The study, carried out by South Western Railway (SWR) on its trains and analysed by Charles Spence, professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford, measured the effect of listening to nature soundscapes on passengers’ stress levels and relaxation.
The tests, possibly the first to be carried out with commuters in real-world conditions, see passengers listen to natural sounds such as birds singing, a flowing river and a storm, as well as their favourite sources such as music and podcasts. These scenarios were also tested without voice input on a specially commissioned service on a 47-minute loop journey from London Waterloo.
A group of 46 passengers completed mood assessment questionnaires before departure and then at 15-minute intervals thereafter. They found that those who listened to nature sounds experienced a 35% reduction in stress and a 32% reduction in tension, while those who listened to music or podcasts experienced just an 11% reduction in stress.
“Much of the research done in this area has been done in laboratories and is not very ecologically valid, whereas this study may be one of the few conducted on a train with real commuters,” said Prof Spence, adding that while the sample size was dictated by operational constraints, it was consistent with previous laboratory-based research into the effects of noise on stress and health.
“The results clearly show that listening to nature-inspired soundscapes had a significant calming effect on passengers,” he said. “It will be interesting to see whether these results apply to other modes of transportation, such as long-haul flights or long car rides.”
Dan Piner, senior strategy and innovation manager at SWR, said the company knows many people use travel to unwind after work and wants to “better understand how passengers can truly relax and make the most of their time on board.”
Since the pandemic began, some commuters have found ways to make their commutes more productive and enjoyable, trying everything from sewing curtains to learning Italian to listening to audiobooks.
“The data is clear: listening to nature soundscapes on the train reduces stress,” Pinner said.
Inspired by this research, the railway company has partnered with workplace wellbeing platform Unmind to develop Train Tracks, “a curated selection of nature sounds to help our customers get the most out of every journey they make with us.”
The series, available on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music, includes episodes about storms, birdsong and waterfalls, each of which comes in short, medium and long versions for passengers to choose depending on the length of their trip.
While on-time trains would reduce stress for passengers, a separate SWR poll of more than 2,000 passengers found the most common complaints were other passengers talking loudly on their phones (64%), putting their feet on the seat (58%) and listening to music without earphones (56%).
