Want to lower stress and boost happiness? Listen to birdsong.

Good Medicine For Body & Soul

Did you know that viewing or hearing birds can help to boost well-being and alleviate negative emotions? According to several fascinating studies, it’s true! This shouldn’t come as a surprise since we have known for quite some time that spending time in nature is beneficial for physical and mental health. However, birdsong seems to be particularly effective. Considering they can be found everywhere, this is good news! Here we will explore what the research says about the health-boosting benefits of birds, along with easy ways to attract more birdsong into your life. Let’s get started!

Natural Relief for Stress, Anxiety, & Depression

If you would like a simple (and free) method to help to reduce stress, calm anxiety, and alleviate depression, researchers believe they have found the answer: birds and their song.

A 2022 study published in the journal Scientific Reports involving 295 participants found that exposure to birdsong significantly reduced anxiety, paranoia, and depression in healthy patients.² The team also noted that the opposite, in this case traffic noise, had the reverse effect and increased depressive symptoms.

Likewise, another study with participants from the UK, Europe, USA, China, and Australia concluded that “[e]veryday encounters with birdlife were associated with time-lasting improvements in mental well-being. These improvements were evident not only in healthy people but also in those with a diagnosis of depression, the most common mental illness across the world.”³

It has long been known that spending time in nature is good for you as it lowers blood pressure, cortisol levels, and rumination. This also includes exposure to birdsong. Researchers believe these healthy aspects of nature are due to what is known as “soft fascination”, where nature holds our attention — but also allows our minds to recharge from the mental fatigue caused by living in urban environments. Interestingly, recorded birdsong can also have beneficial effects.

“The special thing about birdsongs is that even if people live in very urban environments and do not have a lot of contact with nature, they link the songs of birds to vital and intact natural environments,” said Emil Stobbe, an environmental neuroscience graduate student at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.¹

Anything that calms the body and mind can also help improve health as chronic stress is associated with a host of conditions — including high blood pressure, obesity, type II diabetes, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and more. For an additional level of support beyond spending time in natural spaces or listening to birdsong, see our Anxiety & Stress, Heart Health, and Sleep herbal tincture blends in the apothecary.

Bringing More Birdsong Into Your Life

Given these findings, experts highlight the need for bird-friendly environments, especially in urban areas where natural habitats are limited. This means incorporating more trees, shrubs, water sources, and diverse plant life to create a thriving ecosystem. Building such a space is easier than you might think! No matter where you live — city, suburbs, or countryside — here are a few simple methods that can help to create a welcoming space for birds.

As I wrote in “Birdsong Dramatically Lowers Stress in 10 Minutes or Less, Study Finds“, the Audubon Society recommends the following to create a bird-friendly habitat:⁴

For Attracting Bugs: Trees such as oaks, willows, birches, and maples. Goldenrod, milkweed, and sunflowers are outstanding for encouraging insect and caterpillar populations.

Fruit: Serviceberry and cherry for breeding season and summer; dogwood and spicebush for migrating birds; cedar and holly trees for the cold season.

Nuts and Seeds: Oak, hickory, and walnut trees provide important fat and protein-rich food that can be stored for winter by birds. Native sunflowers, asters, and coneflowers produce abundant tiny seeds.

Nectar: To attract hummingbirds, columbine, penstemon, and honeysuckle are excellent choices. Flowers in the aster family (coneflowers, asters, Joe-Pye weed) attract butterflies, moths, and bees, while also providing seeds for birds.

Be sure to add a water feature, like a hollowed-out rock to collect rainwater or a classic birdbath. Fountains can also be a great way to attract birds. If you have an outdoor cat, consider using a breakaway collar with a bell to help keep local bird populations safe.

An additional option to consider is my Medicinal Garden Seed Kit. It will help you to grow a range of pollinator-friendly plants that support beneficial insects that attract birds into your yard. The seed kit includes chamomile, calendula, chicory, marshmallow, California poppy, evening primrose, yarrow, lavender, echinacea, and feverfew. These blooming plants are not only beautiful, but have a range of medicinal properties. Spring is right around the corner — don’t wait. Tap here to get started!

How to Identify Any Bird, Anywhere

Have you ever seen a bird you couldn’t identify, but really wished you could? What if I told you that by practicing a few simple techniques regularly, you could solve any bird mystery —anytime, anywhere!

My friends over at Bird Mentor are offering an engaging 8-Day course, Identify Any Bird Anywhere.

If you’ve been looking for a way to deepen your connection to birds, expand your sense of belonging to the natural world, and take your bird identification skills to the next level — this course is for you! After completing the training, you will:

• Know exactly what to focus on when you see a new bird.
• Be able to fully utilize your new birding skills as if it were second nature.
• Know how to get close to birds without causing them to fly away each and every time.
• Gain confidence with your new skill set — and be able to teach those around you.

But that’s not all — you will learn so much more with this fascinating and immensely practical course. Tap the link below to take advantage of their program today!

Identify Any Bird Anywhere.

Nicole Apelian

Nicole’s Apothecary Products in this Post

References

1. “Why birds and their songs are good for our mental health” by Richard Sima, The Washington Post, May 18, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/interactive/2023/birds-song-nature-mental-health-benefits/
2. Stobbe, E., Sundermann, J., Ascone, L. et al. Birdsongs alleviate anxiety and paranoia in healthy participants. Sci Rep 12, 16414 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20841-0
3. Hammoud, R., Tognin, S., Burgess, L. et al. Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment reveals mental health benefits of birdlife. Sci Rep 12, 17589 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20207-6
4. “How to Make Your Yard Bird-Friendly” The Audubon Society. https://www.audubon.org/news/how-make-your-yard-bird-friendly-0