A Cambridge study shows that just 10 minutes surrounded by trees and birdsong can significantly improve mood and psychological well-being

The sounds of singing birds drifting through a leafy forest may do more than create a peaceful atmosphere; they could measurably improve mental health. A new study has found that spending just 10 minutes in a restored urban forest while listening to birdsong reduced people's stress, increased positive emotions and made them feel more mentally refreshed than any other environment tested. The findings suggest that restoring urban forests benefits not only biodiversity but also human well-being, highlighting the growing importance of green spaces as cities continue to expand. The research, published in the journal Environmental Conservation by Cambridge University Press, was led by Dr Nils Peterson of North Carolina State University, alongside Lincoln R. Larson and an international team of collaborators. Restored forests and birdsong produced the strongest psychological benefitsThe researchers recruited 106 participants from North Carolina State University and exposed each person to four different combinations of landscape and sound. Participants either sat in a restored riparian forest or a nearby built-up urban area, while listening to either birdsong or traffic noise through headph...