A unexpected way to improve well-being and mood has been found

Scientists have found that feeding wild birds noticeably improves human well-being: 95% of those who do it reported a positive effect. The study was published in the journal AMBIO.

Bird feeding is one of the most popular nature-related hobbies: in the United States alone, about 56 million adults engage in it. Scientists have long suspected that contact with nature has a beneficial effect on mental health, but just how much such a simple habit helps had remained a mystery until now.

A team of researchers led by Kelly Langhans from Virginia Polytechnic Institute surveyed participants in the citizen science program Project FeederWatch, who spent half a year observing birds at their feeders. The scientists compared how feeding birds affected people's well-being — and how other significant life events during the same period affected it.

The results were impressive: 95% of participants reported a positive impact on their well-being from feeding birds — while for other life events, this figure was only 55%. The researchers identified three key mechanisms of benefit: positive emotions — joy, calm, and peace of mind; heightened interest and engagement, as people curiously observed the behavior of the birds; and a sense of purpose — from the awareness of helping birds or contributing to science.

According to the study's authors, such a simple and accessible activity can serve as an inexpensive way to support mental health and strengthen a person's connection with nature. Moreover, such programs also benefit science itself: observations from thousands of volunteers help scientists track the status of bird populations. The researchers emphasize that caring for nature and caring for oneself go hand in hand here. They advise against dismissing a bird feeder as a trivial matter: regular bird watching provides a sense of rhythm and connection with the living world that city dwellers so often lack. At the same time, the scientists remind us that birds need to be fed properly — with suitable food and with feeders kept clean — so as not to harm the birds.