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| God's cathedral |
People living in neighbourhoods with more birds, shrubs and trees are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and stress, according to research by academics at the University of Exeter, the British Trust for Ornithology and the University of Queensland.
The study,
involving hundreds of people, found benefits for mental health of being
able to see birds, shrubs and trees around the home, whether people
lived in urban or more leafy suburban neighbourhoods.
The study,
which surveyed mental health in over 270 people from different ages,
incomes and ethnicities, also found that those who spent less time out
of doors than usual in the previous week were more likely to report they
were anxious or depressed.
After
conducting extensive surveys of the number of birds in the morning and
afternoon in Milton Keynes, Bedford and Luton, the study found that
lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress were associated with the
number of birds people could see in the afternoon. The academics studied
afternoon bird numbers - which tend to be lower than birds generally
seen in the morning - because are more in keeping with the number of
birds that people are likely to see in their neighbourhood on a daily
basis.
In the study,
common types of birds including blackbirds, robins, blue tits and crows
were seen. But the study did not find a relationship between the species
of birds and mental health, but rather the number of birds they could
see from their windows, in the garden or in their neighbourhood.
Previous
studies have found that the ability of most people to identify different
species is low (e.g. Dallimer et al. 2012), suggesting that for most
people it is interacting with birds, not just specific birds, that
provides well-being.
University of
Exeter research fellow Dr Daniel Cox, who led the study, said: "This
study starts to unpick the role that some key components of nature play
for our mental well-being".
Birds around
the home, and nature in general, show great promise in preventative
health care, making cities healthier, happier places to live".
The positive
association between birds, shrubs and trees and better mental health
applied, even after controlling for variation in neighbourhood
deprivation,
household income, age and a wide range of other socio-demographic factors.
Read More:https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-02household income, age and a wide range of other socio-demographic factors.
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| A living forest with spirit |