Natural soundscapes boost health markers, lower stress
Washington (AFP) - Stressed out by the pandemic? Spending more time in green spaces might be just what the doctor ordered, according to a study that quantifies the health benefits of natural sounds, from improved mood and cognitive performance to decreased heart rate and sensitivity to pain. The paper was led by Rachel Buxton, a conservation biologist at Canada's Carleton University, and published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). "We tend to look at the acoustic environment from the perspective of noise pollution and how it disturbs wildlife, and how it ha...