At one point or another, most of us have experienced the annoyance of hearing a distracting sound that impeded our ability to do something. Maybe you live near a railroad track, where trains bustle and shake late at night, hindering your ability to sleep. Maybe you’ve known the stress of trying to concentrate on a task while construction work beeps and whirs outside. In our modern industrialized world, it is not uncommon to encounter distracting noises. Hearing disruptive sounds is related to increased stress, elevated risk for heart disease, and difficulty processing information (Schell, 2003). While we can’t always choose when we hear these nuisance noises, we can choose to reinvigorate our senses and connect with nature by listening to sounds from our natural environment. As you listen to these sounds sampled from nature, observe how they make you feel. If you find the sounds to be relaxing or pleasant, consider exposing yourself to more nature sounds, either by spending time in immersive natural environments or listening to more sampled sounds. Now, I invite you to sit back and enjoy.
References
Schell, L. M., & Denham, M. (2003). Environmental Pollution in Urban Environments and Human Biology. Annual Review of Anthropology, 32, 111–134. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25064823
Sampled Sounds and Nature Videos Provided by Storyblocks
Humans in Nature 