Birds can make us happier, study in the U.K. finds

Geese on the wing (Photo by Steve Smith, Unspash)

An off-kilter skit from the television series "Portlandia" had some truth to it. To spread cheer, two cast members go from place to place, in someone else's house, putting birds on pillows, birds on birds, birds on toast. Feeling gloomy? Put a bird on it.

Turns out that birds do brighten and relax our minds. "A study recently published in the journal Science found that being in the presence of birds made people feel more positive," reports Sarah Gibbens of National Geographic.

The study in the United Kingdom spanned two weeks and included a smartphone app questionnaire that was completed three times a day. "Emerging from the app’s data was a discernible trend—study participants who saw birds were more likely to report a better mood," Gibbens writes. "Research is increasingly finding that getting outside is good for our brains, which is why scientists want to know more about what aspects of nature may be the most therapeutic."

Andrea Mechelli, a psychologist at King’s College London and one of the paper’s authors, told Gibbens that he was originally seeking information on why people who live in cities may be more likely to suffer from mental illness. He told Gibbens that they stumbled upon the facts: "I don’t have a particular agenda focused on nature myself. I wasn't thinking we were going to demonstrate nature has a strong effect. . . Our first finding [was] that nature has a very powerful effect."

"With the data he collected, Mechelli performed a statistical analysis that found a discernible improvement in well-being when birds were present, even when eliminating other factors like the presence of trees or waterways," Gibbens writes. "James and other scientists note the study provides an interesting insight into how specific parts of nature may influence well-being."

In putting the findings to use, Mechelli told Gibbens that he asks his "patients go for walks to observe the trees and plants growing in the city, and the wildlife fluttering by. It has no side effects. It’s something they could try, and they have nothing to lose.”