Cross posting at its finest!
Welcome writer JFT Beach from Happier and Healthier
Hello friends! Today I have a special guest posting from my friend JFT Beach over at Happier and Healthier
If you want to check out their publication, which I recommend, go check it out right here:https://open.substack.com/pub/happierandhealthierover40?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3hh4ux
Without further ado, I truly hope you enjoy their quirky post that vibes with my spirit!
Vegan Marshmallows, Road Rage, and Bird Song Addiction
APR 26, 2024
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"I NEED vegan marshmallows".
Now the term 'need' is an interesting one when it comes to non-gelatin 'smallows, in just about any context I can imagine. Save perhaps an apocalyptic world where they are the only defence against the flesh-eating zombies which happen to be sprinting your way - in this case they could be quite handy 😊
Anyway 'need' them my daughter apparently did, and as she was amid cooking up a kitchen storm I dutifully set off to find some.
I was tight on time as I had an appointment to get to as well, so of course everything that could get in my way did:
* The health food shop that sells the 'smallows was in the opposite direction I needed to go.
* There was no parking near the shop, so I couldn't get there.
* I remembered a second vegan-marshmallow friendly shop in the 'right' direction so I headed that way; there were roadworks at more places than I care to mention.
* Also no parking close by this 2nd shop either!
All this stress for a pack of marshmallows - first world problems!
(Or as the Dutch say eerste wereld problemen - which sounds WAY better).
And to top it all off as I had been sat in traffic at the road works, the radio played some awful pop song.
I remember not what it was; probably due to a marshmallow-trauma blocked memory. For argument’s sake I'm saying it was Rick Astley.
I flicked the little in-car radio switch and saw something called "Bird Song" on the digital menu.
My mind went straight to 'Blackbird' the beautiful acoustic Beatles song which I have always found such a calming and serene little toon. A good thing. So I hit the dial for "Bird Song" and there my car transformed into the sounds of of nature.
All kinds of harmonious shrillings and tweetings came forth and my hitherto furrowed brow was healed.
And since that day, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a confession to make…
(Think Oprah Winfrey-style grand reveals and you'll just about hit the level of drama and controversy to follow - maybe)...
YEP - Perhaps you guessed … I've become a bit of a bird song addict.
More often than not I find myself turning the radio dial to those sweet, sweet, sounds of nature. Chasing that first 'birdsong high' with the fervour of a crushingly addicted being. Hoping to feel that calm enter my body and take me to that softly cushioned, gentle, happy place.
But what is it about these bird songs that make them so darned, well, nice?
Well as ever there’s a study. More than one in fact. But one that I particularly liked, as it’s a little goofy, was performed by researchers at California Polytechnic State University who went out to a popular hiking area (Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks in Colorado) and hid some audio speakers. [1]
Over the coming weeks they played pre-recorded bird song to some of the hikers.
They interviewed the hikers afterwards and the ones who were played the birdsong reported increased feelings of wellbeing, which the researchers put down to a combination of the sounds themselves, and the feelings that the hikers had of being in a much more biodiverse area (i.e. with loads of wildlife around).
One of the researchers Clinton Francis was quoted as saying: “I'm still kind of flabbergasted that only 7-10 minutes of exposure to these sounds improved people's well-being. It really underscores how important hearing is to us and probably to other animals.” [2]
This still doesn’t explain the exact WHY behind the goodness of birdsong, and as far as I can see there has been no definitive research on what it does exactly to the brain. But an interesting piece on the National History Museum website by natural journalist Tammana Begum indicates that it could be due to 2 things:
1. A hereditary survival instinct – In times gone by the sounds of nature such as bird calls would indicate an area where animals were living and so important resources like water and plants were also present. All GOOD things for your average hunter gatherer, so it would make sense that it makes us happy to hear the bird call (kinda like the ancient civilisation equivalent of the ice cream van’s tune or in more recent time the Uber Eats guys revving his motorbike!)
2. It can combat mental fatigue – The sounds of nature are easy listening and easy to focus on. They can help replenish our mental energy which gets quickly burnt by a day in the office, at school, or anywhere around a packed urban environment.
So, birdsong is definitely for the win. In nature with all kinds of trees ‘n’ green stuff around is best. But on a radio or smart speaker good too. And for extra lolz try playing it when your dog’s in the car as it sure confused mine for a minute or so - such fun!
To birdy songs,
JFT Beach
[1] https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2020.1811
PS This article is in no way to be confused with possibly the worst ever record known to man/woman; “The Birdie Song” by The Tweets which actually got to #2 in the UK chart in 1981! Click below to play if you’re feeling brave. Very brave.
There’s gotta be a Shakespearean insult that has to do with not appreciating birdsongs!
I savor every birdsong I hear on my morning walks.
Oh I have doing so much of the same recently! 🦜🎵❗And we live next to a river so l hear ospreys, geese, ducks, and all the different songs of the migrators along the river. Cacophony, symphony, looking for their own.