Scientists to investigate human benefits of hearing birdsong for National Trust study
Last updated 1/16/2012 2:32:09 PM
Scientists to investigate human benefits of hearing birdsong for National Trust study
A new three year research project will look into the benefit of birdsong on our brain and behaviour.
The project will explore the psychological impact of being exposed to the sound of birdsong, including its effects on our mood, attention and levels of creativity.
The research, by the University of Surrey in partnership with the National Trust and Surrey Wildlife Trust, aims to increase understanding of the benefits of spending time in nature and will use studies in the field, laboratory and online to gather data from a broad slice of the population in rural and urban locations.
Researchers will also investigate whether there is any difference between listening to recorded birdsong compared to hearing birds in their natural environment .It will also rank whether there is any difference in listening to different types of birds sing.
Eleanor Ratcliffe, who will be carrying out the research, said: "A great deal of anecdotal evidence suggests that we respond positively to birdsong. However, currently there is a lack of scientific research on the psychological effects of listening to birds."
A mixture of online questionnaires, laboratory work and field studies at National Trust and Surrey Wildlife Trust sites will help to build up a clearer picture of how and why birdsong can be of psychological benefit.
Peter Brash, National Trust ecologist, said: "As a lifelong birder I've always had birdsong as a natural soundtrack to my life and believe it's good for the mind and soul. Birdsong gets us closer to nature and links people to places and memories in a way that few other sounds can. It's a simple pleasure that most of us can enjoy, even if we live in towns and cities."
Last year the National Trust launched a Winter solstice campaign to encourage people to listen to five minutes of birdsong to help
combat winter blues and the audio guide was downloaded more than 10,000 times.
Whilst some birds can be heard singing most of the year, such as the much-loved robin, for others, including the beautiful song thrush and the garden regulars of the tit family, the period around the shortest day marks the start of their song season.