The sweet melody of the birds, the flow of water through the river, the whistle of the spring wind… all of this induces a feeling of relaxation, a scene in which stress and discomfort seem to disappear.
Human beings have always found in nature an environment of calm and tranquility, its sounds being a very important element that contributes to entering a state of deep relaxation.
The health benefits of natural sounds, in addition to being part of popular culture, have been approached from a more scientific perspective. and in this article we are going to talk about recent research that has shed some light on this issue.
The benefits of natural sounds for well-being and health
People are very varied in terms of musical tastes. There are those of us who like indie rock, others who are more into classical music and there are those who enjoy trap.
For tastes, colors and, of course, this also applies to musical genres. However, within so much sound diversity there is an acoustic repertoire in which we all seem to agree and that is the sounds that relax us.
If we ask several people what sound relaxes them, it is quite likely that the majority will tell us the same thing: the singing of birds, the sound of rain or the whistling of the wind and other natural sounds. On the other hand, if we asked what stresses them, they would probably tell us not so pleasant sounds, such as, for example, the thunderous noise of a steamroller or cars honking on the highway. Why is it that what is natural relaxes us and what is anthropogenic stresses us?
The sounds of nature and humans
Throughout history, humans have attributed a relaxing component to the sounds of nature. The melodies of the birds in the countryside or the waves on the beach are auditory stimuli that we almost naturally attribute with relaxation and well-being, and we very often resort to them to keep our mind calm and even concentrate. Proof of this are the countless YouTube videos with ambient music composed of sounds such as rain, waves or birds singing.
The scientific approach to this issue is nothing new and, in fact, there have been several studies that have sought to find the relationship and possible benefits of natural sounds for health. If hundreds of people turn to natural sounds to feel better, it will be because they work in one way or another, but it had to be demonstrated and a logical explanation behind it had to be found, something that a recent article has dared to do.
The article in question is that of Rachel T. Buxton’s group entitled A synthesis of health benefits of natural sounds and their distribution in national parks (A synthesis of the health benefits of natural sounds and their distribution in national parks), published in the American journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which, in summary, has found how natural acoustic environments are indeed beneficial for health, both physical and mental.
According to their study, hearing sounds such as the flow of water through a river, a waterfall or rain, as well as listening to animal sounds such as birds singing, have a positive impact on our health. Among the many benefits of natural sounds has been the reduction of pain and stress, in addition to improving mood and even increasing cognitive performance.
Rachel Buxton, from the Department of Biology at Carleton University in Canada, suggests why natural sounds benefit human health. From her explanation in the article and in some interviews that have been conducted with her, it can be extracted that the human being continues to be what he is, an animal, and that No matter how much we have moved away from the forests to live in the urban jungle, we still remain connected to nature.
Natural sounds give us a sense of space, connect us to nature and give us clues about what we can expect from the place where we are. There is increasing evidence that natural sounds are a fundamental aspect of enjoying good health and well-being since we continue to depend on nature. If we stop hearing it, we start to worry and feel bad.
Study methodology
In their research, Buxton and colleagues analyzed and contrasted data from 36 studies, of which 18 were compared, trying to discern whether natural sounds do indeed improve our well-being. One of the conclusions drawn by the group was that, Of all the natural sounds studied, those that seemed to be most effective in improving mood and concentration were those of the water type (e.g., hearing a river).
To evaluate what changes natural sounds induce, the researchers of the various studies consulted used different tests to measure their impact. So, physiological responses such as heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormone levels were measured to see if the subject was more relaxed when hearing a natural sound. More subjective measures were also used, such as perceived pain as an indicator of well-being.
After conducting the meta-analysis, Buxton’s group examined the distribution of natural sounds relative to human-generated sound at 221 locations in 68 U.S. parks. They found that Only 11.3% of these places were very rich in natural sounds and practically free of anthropogenic noise. while the rest of the parks, especially those located near urban centers, had a greater amount of noise of human origin although they were also acoustic environments with natural sounds.
Although it is preferable to be immersed in an environment with only natural sounds, the fact that it is not “clean” and isolated does not mean that there are no benefits or that it stresses us, but rather the opposite. It was found that natural sounds help reduce the negative impact of noises such as car horns or drill presses.
In fact, they found that listening to noise combined with natural sounds had better health outcomes than listening to noise alone. That is, even living in an urban environment with noise pollution, If you are lucky enough to live near a park or enjoy the sweet singing of birds, it is quite likely that you will have better mental health than those who do not enjoy these natural sounds.
Why is it beneficial?
It is not yet known exactly why natural sounds generate a positive reaction but, taking an evolutionary perspective, we can try to make sense of it. In fact, Buxton herself has her own explanation, stating that The acoustic environment can serve as an indicator of how safe the environment itself is. based on the idea that how noisy an environment is gives us clues as to whether we are in danger or not.
That is, if an acoustic environment has many pleasant natural sounds, such as birdsong and the gentle passage of water through the river, Our brain interprets this as meaning that we are in a place where there are no threats and that it is safe to stay there. If we stay in that place nothing will happen to us. It is a place that allows mental recovery because we are not at the limit.
On the contrary, an environment in which there is a lot of noise and violence is perceived as a dangerous place, with threats. Naturally, our body will begin to express stress and anxiety in anticipation of finding itself in a place where something bad can happen to us and in order to keep our integrity intact it begins to go into survival mode, preparing to carry out fight or flight behavior. .
This last explanation would be the one that would help us understand Why don’t the noise of a drill press, the exhaust pipe of a car or the angry argument of two pedestrians relax us?. These are dangerous and aggressive objects or situations, stimuli from which it is better to stay away, but living in a big city it is difficult to stay away from them voluntarily.
We must protect our natural environments
Taking everything explained into account, it is important to have natural spaces in large cities or take advantage of the opportunity to visit the countryside and the beach from time to time, taking excursions to the mountains, practicing ornithology or lying next to a river. Natural environments must be protected and promoted since, in addition to their multiple environmental benefits, they also imply benefits for human health and can act as a protective factor against diseases associated with stress.
So now we know. If we are lucky enough to live near a forest, a river, the beach or any natural environment, we now have no excuse not to go, since our health could perfectly benefit from it. And, if by bad luck, we are one of those who are trapped in the madding crowd of big cities, there is no need to despair, since platforms like YouTube or Spotify offer us multiple recordings with natural sounds. Of course it is not the same as enjoying them in real life, but it is not a bad option to add them to our “playlist” and try to keep our mind at peace.
