Two treatments of birdsong awareness and their influence on human mental well-being in an urban park environment

Going outside for a bird or nature walk has a positive impact on people’s well-being. In a quasi-experimental setting, we compared verbal and visual guidance related to birdsong regarding their effects on mental well-being, physiological stress parameters, and the subjective experience of nature. A total of 47 people participated in a study conducted in the controlled environment of an arboretum within a botanical garden. We applied two interventions in a pre-post design: 20 participants received a verbal awareness treatment, and 27 received a visual awareness treatment. Data were collected over 7 days from May to June 2024. Situational mental well-being was measured using psychometrically validated questionnaire scales. In addition to mental well-being, physiological stress parameters, including heart rate, blood pressure, and salivary cortisol levels, were also measured. At the experimental level, the statistical models indicate that the walk had a positive influence on mental well-being and reduced physiological stress parameters. Furthermore, the group receiving visual awareness treatment reported a higher perceived restorativeness of the ambient sound and a more acute perception of birdsong. On the individual level, participants with better bird species knowledge and nature experience expressed improved mental well-being. Participants who scored higher on the subjective trait variable ‘perception of birds’ reported improved mental well-being and an enhanced perception of biodiversity after the walk. The study provides evidence for the influence of personal or individual traits on mental well-being, in addition to the general effects of the intervention.