Effects of nature experience on mental well-being and physiological stress parameters in an experimental bird walk setting – the role of bird song

Recreational nature experience in cities is an accessible way for people to receive benefits for their physical and mental health. Recreational walking, for example, is a popular way of stress relief. Further, birdsong has been found to improve well-being. The following study aims to determine if an unguided bird walk through a controlled environment positively affects mental well-being, physiological stress markers and subjective nature experience. For this, an experimental design was developed, with two manipulations being 1) enhanced bird song vs. natural song, 2) raised awareness for bird song vs. no raised awareness, in a 2x2 factorial design, with additional noise-cancelling headphones as control. In a pre-post-test design, measurements of saliva cortisol levels, blood pressure and heart rate were employed to assess physiological stress markers. The unguided bird walk generally positively affects well-being and physiological stress parameters. Physiological stress parameters decreased, and positive emotions increased after a bird walk in a controlled park environment. Playing additional bird songs as playback did not lead to enhanced mental well-being or nature experience compared to natural songs. However, raising awareness about the natural bird song led to a higher nature experience than not raising awareness about the bird song. The results suggest that nature experience plays a significant role in mental well-being. In our analysis, nature experience itself is connected to increased awareness of the environment and also to a positive perception of birds as a trait variable. We conclude that a positive personal nature experience is important to promote mental well-being after an unguided nature or bird walk and is additionally enhanced by verbal awareness cues.