There’s no doubt about the healthy impact on humans of listening to Mother Nature. A good morning walk, a refreshing sunbath by the beach, or simple a breath of fresh air has positive effects on our body.
Interestingly, recent research also adds sounds of nature to the list as they have a positive influence on our mental health. Yes, there are many benefits of listening to Mother Nature.
Scientists also state that it is because of the deep connection between nature and human evolution. For example, while listening to natural sounds, we detach ourselves from our busy routine and turn towards nature, our origin. These sounds help us achieve unity of mind and soul that we crave for.
If you’re looking for way to de-stress naturally, we invite you to continue reading to learn more about the benefits of listening to Mother Nature.
About the science of listening to Mother Nature.
Have you ever heard water sound, birds chirping or even wind blowing? If yes, then you are already aware of the calming effect these sounds freely offer us.
The health benefits of nature sounds do not surprise Dr. Buxton, a researcher. She believes that human beings receive nature sounds as something that is “safe.” Therefore, we lower our guards and accept its positivity.
Another study also examines the effect of natural sounds on human being. The study was conducted by researchers who were monitoring the nervous system and heart rate of participants by MRI scanner and pulse monitor. Researchers played natural sounds and artificial sounds to examine brain activity and heart rate. Their observations find that when humans hear artificial sounds, they struggle with brain signals similar to stress, anxiety, and depression.
On the other hand, natural sounds helped participants to relax and perform better.
Impact on your mental health.
Research shows that listening to nature-made noises can have the following impacts on your mental health:
- Reduce stress
- Ease pain
- Improve cognitive function
- Better sleep, mood, and many more.
A series of studies also show that people living in urban areas experience more stress and annoyance as compared to those living away from noisy areas.
These results demonstrate how our brain responds to man-made noises. Not only our brain but our heart pumping function also is more relaxed while being surrounded by nature.
All of this suggests how our body’s natural response system is connected to its origin.
But, do you know? Not all natural sounds have the same impact on your mental health. Different sounds have different results, and all these together show a healthy result on your body.
The sound of the waterfall, for instance, has a calming impact on your brain, and it helps you think more positively, giving you a feeling of well-being. And researches have shown that areas of natural habitat with more sounds of birds chirping result in fewer cases of stress and anxiety.
Connection of sounds to your natural responses.
Our ancestors knew how to live in harmony with Mother Nature. So naturally, the human body is in tune to the sounds of nature. Our brain also feels at home while surrounded by these sounds. On the other hand, the high pitch man-made noises stimulate your body’s natural fight-or-flight response, resulting in your body feeling stress. Therefore, our body responds negatively to high voices and positively to pleasant frequencies.
Environment specialists and ornithologists also recommend spending more time with Mother Nature. Nature not only means beach, forests or parks but also plants in your homes. Why don’t you step out and listen to the birds chirping while returning to their homes?
Nature is in the rustling of pages, scratching pen with the paper, water dropping in your sink, or the noise of wind outside your window. Other than that, if you can’t dive away to the parks and forests every day, at least spend some time with nature once every few months.
To add up to your ease, there are nature-sounding apps, providing you with the natural sounds from the ease of your home. Tune in to a good nature-sounding site and observe the changes in your health!
Conclusion
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