North Carolina State Study Finds 10 Minutes of Birdsong in Restored Forest Cuts Stress

A study conducted by North Carolina State University with 106 student volunteers showed that spending ten minutes in a restored forest while listening to recorded birdsong significantly lowers stress and improves mood. Participants were placed in two settings on the university's Raleigh campus—a reclaimed streamside forest at Rocky Branch and a concrete‑covered urban area—and listened through noise‑cancelling headphones to either birdsong or traffic noise. Both the natural environment and the acoustic stimulus independently reduced negative emotions and increased feelings of mental restoration, with the combination of forest and birdsong producing the strongest effect.

The researchers say the findings suggest that adding natural soundscapes to urban or campus spaces could be a low‑cost strategy for improving mental health, offering guidance for planners seeking to mitigate the stress of heavily built environments.