Live in a city? A chirpy, greener area might make you happier: study – National [Video]

Canadian city-dwellers surrounded by a symphony of birds and a variety of trees might be reaping surprising benefits: better mental health.

A Canadian study, published in Nature last month, found that living in a city neighbourhood rich with bird diversity and tree species was linked to increased reporting of good mental health.

The study found that people living in areas with a greater variety of birds reported feeling happier by 6.64 per cent. Similarly, those living near a wider range of tree species reported 5.36-per cent higher rates of good mental health.

These increases were seen even when considering other factors like socioeconomic status.

“We found that there was a positive association between mental health and the diversity of trees and the diversity of birds in people’s postcodes,” explained Rachel Buxton, the study’s lead author and assistant professor at the Institute of Environmental Science at Carleton University.

“There is a whole …