Birds and Health

How 30 minutes’ birdwatching can send your spirits soaring.

Spending just 30 minutes a week watching sparrows and starlings could benefit mental health, a study suggests.

Researchers said people randomly assigned to a birdwatching group saw greater improvements in their wellbeing than those assigned to a nature walking group or a control group.

The academics, from North Carolina State University, said the results support “previous research suggesting exposure to birds may be more influential than other forms of nature”.   Birdwatching was associated with a 12.1% average increase in wellbeing, compared to an 8.5 % rise for nature walkers.   The control group, who carried on as normal saw a 2.6% increase.

Birdwatchers’ distress levels dropped by 13.7%, and nature-walkers’ by 6.9%.   The study is published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

Feeding the birds in your garden can bring rewards and entertainment.

Taking the Stairs.

Taking the stairs gives your heart a healthy workout.   It may be tempting to take the lift, but choosing the stairs really can help you live longer, researchers believe.

Scientists investigated whether climbing stairs, as a form of physical activity could paly a role in reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease and early death.

They conducted a large analysis involving nine previous studies and nearly 500,000 people aged between 35 and 84, both healthy participants and those with a history of heart attack or heart disease.

Analysis revealed that compared with not climbing stairs, stair climbing was linked to a 24% reduced risk of dying from any cause and a 39% lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Sophie Paddock, from the University of East Anglia said “If you have the choice of taking the stairs or the lift, go for the stairs.   Even brief bursts of physical activity have beneficial health impacts”.   The findings were presented at the European Society for Cardiology’s Preventive Cardiology conference in Athens.