Natural soundscapes are associated with mental well-being via capacity-building and capacity-restoring pathways

Soundscapes from natural areas are an important cultural ecosystem service that can promote greater mental health and well-being. However, the mediating pathways by which this occurs are not yet fully understood, limiting their integration into ecosystem service frameworks. We addressed this gap by examining a range of mediating pathways between subjective and objective measures of natural soundscapes and well-being. Using online surveys, a representative UK sample (N = 1529) listened to simulated natural soundscapes with differing levels of three acoustic metrics. Participants completed measures of subjective well-being and perceived restoration, along with perceptions of bird diversity within soundscapes, restorativeness, stress and awe. Structural equation modelling was then used to test the theoretically-indicated pathways between subjective and objective measures of the soundscapes and well-being. Results confirmed biodiversity-health hypotheses: the relationship between perceived bird diversity and well-being was mediated by greater perceived restorative qualities of the soundscape, reduced perceived stress and greater perceptions of awe. Novel mechanistic pathways between acoustic characteristics and well-being were also demonstrated with moderate to high acoustic complexity displaying an indirect effect on well-being via serial mediation pathways: first through higher perceived biodiversity levels, and then either greater perceived restorativeness, reduced perceived stress or increased awe. These results provide new insights into how natural soundscapes can deliver well-being benefits and can inform the management and valuation of soundscapes in natural areas.