Seeing spring flowers appear, walking in woodlands and hearing the sounds of nature all help to significantly improve our happiness

New research funded by the Woodland Trust, carried out by the University of Kent, surveyed more than 10,000 people in the UK to learn more about how nature affects emotions. 90% of those questioned answered that their wellbeing was improved by experiencing a variety of wildlife and biodiversity in woodlands. The report found that the sounds of nature were most likely to boost a person’s mood, including woodland birdsong, leaves underfoot and the rustling of trees in a breeze. The appearance of spring flowers was the second best wellbeing response with the variety of colours and fragrance in woodlands scoring highly. Interestingly, the weather did not make a difference to how people responded to time spent in woodlands which proves how a walk in nature is beneficial any time of the year, rain or shine.