Throughout the centuries and millennia, humans have enjoyed the sounds of nature. Nevertheless, these have been largely overshadowed by the noises of town. For this reason, many determine to maneuver to fields, forests, beaches, and natural parks to hearken to them.
And the actual fact of the matter is that the singing of birds, and the sound of the wind, the ocean, and the rain, amongst other things, have a calming effect that’s reflected at a physical and mental level. The truth is, some studies support the advantages they create to human health. In the next article, we’ll let you know more about it.
Health advantages of the sounds of nature
Humans have all the time been involved with nature and its sounds. Nevertheless, little was known in regards to the advantages they create to health. The reality of the matter is that being exposed to natural environments has therapeutic effects which are more valued than ever.
As everyone knows, living in urban contexts takes us away from nature and exposes us not only to annoying noises, but in addition to a busy and stressful lifestyle. Quite the opposite, unwinding in green areas, near rivers, and where it is feasible to understand nature, improves our mood and reduces the negative effects of stress.
A review of studies reported within the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences supports these claims. In keeping with this publication, sounds akin to whistling wind, birdsong, and gurgling streams haven’t only calming, but in addition therapeutic effects.
What does the study say?
The cited study focused on analyzing the health advantages of the sounds of nature. It was led by Rachel T. Burton, a Canadian biologist, who detailed the next:
“From an evolutionary perspective, humans are hardwired to concentrate to danger and safety signals. And an environment that’s crammed with natural sounds feels secure and allows us to let our guard down.”
It was determined that exposure to those sounds can decrease the speed of disease and mortality. It was even linked to decreased pain, improved mood, and higher performance in cognitive tests.
The hypothesis suggests that they influence the brain and the autonomic nervous system, involved in emotion regulation and sleep control.
Other findings
Previous studies made similar findings. In research shared by Scientific Reports, it was observed that folks who spent two hours per week outdoors in a natural environment (urban parks, forests, and beaches) reported higher health and well-being.
A meta-analysis reported by the Lancet Public Health reported that folks living near or in green spaces tended to have an extended life expectancy than those less exposed to those environments.
Discover more: The 14 Best Quotes for Nature Lovers
Relationship to emotions
Nature sounds not only improve physical health, but in addition contribute to emotional well-being. They help reduce irritation, anger, and even sadness.
One among their best influences is on stress. Listening to them promotes calmness and induces a state of rest. Due to this fact, outdoor activities are all the time really useful to release tension.
Noise pollution is harmful
People have grow to be largely concentrated in urban centers. As society has progressed, now we have built a way of life centered on big cities and towns.
In this manner, we’re progressively moving away from nature. As well as, noise from transport, factories and even the population itself has taken over the environment. This known as “noise pollution”.
It influences behavior and well-being. It has been related to multiple health problems, for instance, hearing loss. Nevertheless, it goes beyond that. It seems to extend the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, sleep disorders, nervous system disorders, amongst others.
Because of this, it’s necessary to present yourself time in natural environments at any time when possible. It could even grow to be a every day habit if there are green environments near home or work.
Examples of nature sounds
These sounds can come from different sources. First, there are those from biological sources, akin to birdsong. Alternatively, there are those coming from geology itself. For instance, rain, waves, the whistling of the wind, river water, etc.
What to recollect?
The sounds of natural environments have positive health advantages. They’ve been observed to assist reduce stress, control emotions, and improve overall mood. They’ll even decrease the incidence of disease and lower mortality rates.
For this reason, it’s really useful that everybody dedicates a while of their lives to activities in nature. Learning to enjoy moments of solitude and make contact with with nature may also help to realize a healthier life.
It would interest you…
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to make sure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this text was considered reliable and of educational or scientific accuracy.
- Alvarsson, J. J., Wiens, S., & Nilsson, M. E. (2010). Stress recovery during exposure to nature sound and environmental noise. International journal of environmental research and public health, 7(3), 1036–1046. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872309/
- Buxton, R. T., Pearson, A. L., Allou, C., Fristrup, K., & Wittemyer, G. (2021). A synthesis of health advantages of natural sounds and their distribution in national parks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the US of America, 118(14). https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2013097118
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Jo, H., Song, C., Ikei, H., Enomoto, S., Kobayashi, H., & Miyazaki, Y. (2019). Physiological and Psychological Effects of Forest and Urban Sounds Using High-Resolution Sound Sources. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(15), 2649. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6695879/
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Rojas-Rueda, D., Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J., Gascon, M., Perez-Leon, D., & Mudu, P. (2019). Green spaces and mortality: a scientific review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. The Lancet. Planetary health, 3(11), e469–e477. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31777338/
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