Good News Today! New Science Says That Being Around Birds Makes Us Much Happier

We see birds almost everywhere and hear them daily. They live in our environment, and now, two new studies have revealed that just their presence makes humans happier.

German research found that being surrounded by a variety of birds can result in increased life satisfaction, which’s equal to $150 per week of added income.

The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research measured how species diversity in birds affected people in 26 European countries.

“According to our findings, the happiest Europeans are those who can experience numerous different bird species in their daily life, or who live in near-natural surroundings that are home to many species,” the lead author of the study, Joel Methors explained. 

In the second noteworthy study by California Polytechnic University, Colorado hikers were subjected to a test that measured their sense of well-being. Speakers that played a variety of birdsong were placed along particular sections of a frequented hiking trail. Hikers were then interviewed about their experience.

It was found that hikers on the trials that perceived a higher number of sounds as well as more varied sounds reported feeling better about life and about their hiking experience as against hikers who were exposed to fewer sounds, and less variety of sound. 

The benefits of birding – including hearing birdsong and just noticing the various species around us is proven to be great for overall well-being. sales of bird food, bird feeders, and birding apps witnessed an increase over the pandemic.