Taking a walk in the woods may be more relaxing than fashionable meditation. People played birdsong from woodland are more likely to become relaxed than those played a meditation app, a study of 600 people found.
The feeling of being immersed in nature is believed to be calming, also reducing rates of stress and anxiety. Researchers asked people if they felt relaxed or not, then played them 60 seconds of birdsong.
Before this, 30 per cent said they were relaxed and answered quickly enough to show they were strongly convinced of this. But that jumped to 39 per cent of people after hearing the sound of birds.
The birdsong appeared to work far better than a meditation app, which, when played to a different group, did not increase the proportion of people who felt relaxed.
The study, done by market research firm Walnut Unlimited in collaboration with the National Trust, also found lower rates of stress and anxiety in people who listened to woodland sounds, although meditation worked better for these measures.
Researchers split 600 people into three equal groups for the study, exposing 200 to birdsong and 200 to the meditation app, while leaving the rest alone in silence.
Each group were asked before the one-minute activity if they felt relaxed, stressed or anxious, then asked again afterwards.
The rate of relaxation in people who listened to the meditation app or did nothing did not change.
But the proportion of people who felt relaxed after hearing the sound of birds rose by 30 per cent.
The study found 39 per cent both said they were relaxed and answered fast compared to their speed on previous survey questions.
That indicates that they really did associate the sound of nature with relaxation, so their brain could quickly respond.
However, although the proportion of anxious people fell 19 per cent in those played birdsong, meditation or doing nothing had a larger effect.
The rate of stressed people fell 24 per cent in the woodland sounds group, but by 39 per cent in those listening to a meditation app.
