Natural sounds in national parks and gardens really are good for our health, a new study reveals. Compared with a mix of natural sounds, water sounds had the greatest positive outcomes on human health, whereas bird sounds had the greatest influence on relieving stress. National park soundscapes with little human-made sound and abundant natural sounds occurred at only 11.3 per cent of the sites. Among all sites, water sounds were audible 22.8 per cent of the time, and bird sounds were audible 42.1 per cent of the time. National parks with more visitors showed similar levels of natural sounds but greater levels of human-made sounds, compared with parks with fewer annual visitors.

Source: Daily Mail March 22, 2021 19:01 UTC