If things — the weather, your work, the world — felt overwhelming this week, I hope this dispatch reminds you to take a moment.
💙 Amanda
Aging is weird: I see birds now! I've heard this happens. One day, out of nowhere, you're pointing out finches and marvelling at sparrows.
And honestly? Good. Because apparently birds have mental health benefits. And I could use some of that — stat.
Though the number of studies is still relatively few, the findings are positive. Watching birds can ease stress, tension and fatigue. It can also improve attention. The benefits hold true for die-hard birders and those just out for a stroll.
Here's a particularly lovely finding. In 2023, UK researchers asked people to watch birds in their garden. Some were told to count the birds they saw; others were asked to rate the level of joy each bird brought them. While both activities were beneficial, the "joy watchers" felt a greater decrease in anxiety.
"Garden birds bring pleasure and help people feel more connected to nature, but these benefits can be amplified by brief periods of focused attention, with additional benefits gained by considering the joy of birds," noted the study.
And bless those researchers, because you know what else they did? They took all that data and created a joy rating for common UK birds.
Tits bring a lot of joy; pigeons not so much
The mean joy rating for various birds with range showing the likely value (95% confidence interval).
The birds that brought the most joy tended to be small and colourful.
This tracks with another study, which worked out what kind of birds we prefer to look at. Researchers asked over 6000 people from 78 countries to rate different species, covering nearly 9000 in total. Overall, we tend to like little, bright birds with fancy features, such as a long crest or tail.
Small, bright and fancy: The birds we like best
Bird features that make them more or less appealing to us.
But bird perks aren't all about looks. It's well-established that walking in nature is good for our physical and mental health. And hearing birdsong at the same time — particularly if we make an effort to pay attention to it — can actually boost those benefits.
"Our study’s results are a good message for everyday life. You don’t need a visit to bird-rich environments to make you happy," wrote Christoph Randler, a professor from the University of Tübingen. "It seems more important to focus on the birds that are already there, listen to them and enjoy them."
Like bird watching, listening to birds can improve your mental health, help you focus and give you that feeling of escaping everyday worries. Surprisingly, even recorded birdsong has some of these benefits. And you don't need to head out to a forest, city birds work just fine.
It's kind of nice to know that an act so simple — taking note of the birds — can make a difference.
A LITERARY ASIDE
“Hope is the thing with feathers/ That perches in the soul/ And sings the tune without the words/ And never stops at all.” — Emily Dickinson, 1861.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
We're all here for the same reason — we're curious about what's going on in the world, and we want to see the data to back it up. Paid subscriptions are what make this kind of work possible (and keep the work free for those who can't pitch in). So, if this has become a place you value, I hope you'll consider supporting it.
FROM ELSEWHERE
Here's what I found interesting, important or delightful this week:
Uh. Wow. Try to wrap your head around the size of Meta's massive Hyperion data centre, now under construction in Louisiana. How big do you think it is? I promise it's bigger.
Every. Single. Bird. Jer Thorp, an incredible data artist, is similarly interested in feathered friends. He has a beautiful collection of data-driven bird art for sale on his site.
Socialism for babies. Every baby born in Scotland gets a free box with essentials: newborn clothes, a mattress, a thermometer, and more. It's a Finnish idea that has spread to over 60 countries. And apparently Mamdani is a fan.
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