People Are Tuning Into “Green Noise” To Relax — Can It Really Replicate Nature?

August 29, 2023

Step aside, funny cat clips and music videos: YouTube channels around the world are increasingly filled with the sights and sounds of nature.

The uptick in “green noise” videos demonstrates our collective longing to tune out human distractions and get lost in the soundtracks of the natural world. But what do these green noise videos actually do to the brain—and can listening to them really compare to spending time outside? Let’s investigate.

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“Green noise” is a manufactured sound that has a frequency that reminds some people of what they’d hear in nature.

As Daniel Bowling, Ph.D. acoustics researcher and neuroscience adviser at Spiritune, previously explained to mindbodygreen, in nature, higher frequencies are less common than lower frequencies. Green noise emulates this natural sound distribution—it falls somewhere between white noise (which has an even distribution of high and low frequencies) and brown noise (which is heavily weighted to low frequencies).

Green noise tends to sound relatively deep with minimal static or high-pitched noise. (Tune into a few examples here and here.)

Green noise videos strewn across YouTube and TikTok have now amassed millions of views. People are tuning into these green noise soundtracks to help them de-stress, sleep, or tune out distractions.

Summary

Green noise is a manufactured sound that emulates deep, soothing noises you’d hear in nature. Some people listen to green noise to relax, sleep, and tune out distractions.

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1.

It may help with attention and focus.

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2.

It may help us recover from stress faster.

3.

It shows promise for sleep.

Summary

No research suggests that listening to online green noise videos is good for your health. However, there is some scientific reason to believe that listening to recordings of nature sounds can support sleep, attention, focus, and stress relief.

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• Sleep with a green noise machine: Noise pollution8 is an increasingly irritating issue, especially for those living in urban environments. Sleeping with a noise machine can help you drown out the sounds of the city. Here are some of our favorites; many of which come with a nature-inspired “green” noise setting. You might find the deeper tones of green noise more relaxing than white noise settings, which tend to be more stimulating.
• Use green noise videos to tune out distractions while working: Looking to drown out the noises of a buzzing coffee shop or crowded office? Turn on a green noise video on YouTube to potentially enhance focus and support cognition.
• De-stress to the sounds of nature: While monotonous green noise recordings are great for masking other sounds, they’re not particularly interesting or stimulating on their own. For moments when you want to unwind with a more dynamic nature soundtrack, tune into one on Earth.fm, which features recordings like “Calm Rain in the Amazon Jungle” and “Fall Crickets On The Niobrara.” These scratch the same itch as green noise recordings but will be more transportive to real green environments, potentially making them even more effective for stress relief.

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While virtual soundscapes can evoke some of the feelings we have in nature, they really can’t compare to the real deal.

“There is no replacement for nature,” says Rachel Buxton, Ph.D., a soundscape researcher and assistant professor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Department of Biology at Carleton University. “We need nature in so many ways—and there are so many things about nature that you’re not getting when you’re just listening to a recording.”

When we visit a waterfall up close, for example, not only will we take in its powerful sounds, but we’ll also benefit from the striking sight of the water, the refreshing feeling of the mist on our skin, and the pleasant smell of the damp earth. Even unseen entities—like the organic compounds in the trees9 and microbes in the soil10—can quietly conspire to improve our mood, immune response, and more.

Research supports the fact that in-person nature sounds are preferable to recorded ones. In one experiment out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, healthy undergraduates either sat in an outdoor forest setting or watched a 360-degree VR nature recording of the same environment for six minutes. While the VR headset improved mood11 more than sitting in an empty room, it didn’t have as positive of an impact as the outdoor exposure. Daily exposure to virtual nature12 also doesn’t seem to inhibit rumination or negative thought loops, while real nature definitely does.

For those thinking, that’s great, but I don’t live near any forests or waterfalls, smaller pockets of nature—like a public park or line of street trees—can be a solid stand-in. So, the next time you’re hoping to tune into nature sounds to increase focus or relieve stress, consider seeking them out beyond your laptop. Here are a few ways to get started:

1.

Head to the water (or bring it to your home)

In a recent meta-analysis, Buxton and other researchers reviewed literature on the health benefits of different natural sounds in national parks. Of the sounds surveyed, water sounds had the largest positive impact on health and mood outcomes.

When I asked a study co-author Amber L. Pearson, Ph.D., a health geographer at Michigan State University, why that might be, she said it could have to do with the evolutionary appeal of the water. “There are some theories that we associate water sounds with key resources that we’ve always needed for human survival. And so it’s sort of hardwired into our brain: [water sounds] are a positive thing,” she says.

Put this research into practice by heading to an ocean, stream, pond, or just a water fountain, the next time you’re looking to calm down. If you don’t live near any natural water sources, consider adding a small water feature to your home instead to engage with these sounds.

2.

Go on a “soundwalk”

Soundwalking is exactly what it sounds like: walking with the intention of paying attention to the sounds around you. The practice can help you tune into how soundscapes change from one place to another. What you hear at the start of your walk will likely be totally different than what you hear at the end.

Soundwalking is a way to improve what composer R. Murray Schafer once called your “sonological competence,” or ability to pick up on pleasing sounds. So the next time you take a walk in a more natural area, use it as an opportunity to remove those headphones and flex your auditory muscles in a new way.

3.

Get attuned to the birds

In Pearson and Buxton’s analysis, the sounds of birds also seemed to be very beneficial for stress relief. Other studies have shown that listening to birdsong can alleviate anxiety and paranoia13.

Again, there could be an evolutionary component to this: Birdsongs send a subconscious signal that you’re in an area that has the resources necessary to support life. “When you don’t hear birds, that’s because they are feeling threatened, and so they go quiet,” says Pearson. “When everything was perfectly silent, it can actually can be considered threatening.”

The next time you feel overwhelmed, head outside and see if you can tune into any of the birds around you. Let their song be a reminder that you’re safe and all is well.

4.

Do a sonic visualization

Another way to tune into the green noise that exists all around you is to close your eyes and visualize that you are standing in a snow globe. Preferably, you can do this in an area that isn’t super loud with construction noise or honking. A forest environment is ideal for this practice (that’s where I was when I first fell in love with it), but a public park or your backyard will work, too.

With your eyes closed and ears open, listen for the nature sound that you can hear the most clearly and is the closest to you. Then, listen for the one that is the furthest away. Latch onto this sound, this “green noise,” and imagine that it is hitting the glass of the contained snow globe. Sit with this sound for as long as it takes you to wind down and feel more at peace.

Over time, as you use these practices to pick up on the real green noises around you, they will become easier to recognize and benefit from. Becoming more attuned to your local soundscape can also remind you what an essential role nature sounds play in our lives—and how important they are to protect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Green noise is a specific frequency of noise thought to emulate the sounds of nature. It hasn’t been scientifically studied, but there’s some reason to believe that it can help promote sleep, enhance attention, and relieve stress. That said, it can’t stand in for the sounds of nature or replace our inherent human need to engage with the natural world.

Think of green noise videos like a good-quality CD of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5: It can certainly give you a sense of the music, but it pales in comparison to a live performance. Like a symphony orchestra, the sounds of the outdoors are a treat for the senses that can’t be captured or replicated.