New research shows that woods and wildlife make us feel better

The sights, sounds and smells of life in a British woodland really do boost our wellbeing

Has your mood ever been boosted by a walk in the woods?

Well, you're not alone, as results from a large new survey show that lots of people feel the sights, sounds and smells of woodlands have a positive impact on how they feel.

The research, funded by the Woodland Trust and carried out by the University of Kent, surveyed more than 10,000 people in the UK to learn more about how nature affects our emotions.

A massive 90% of those questioned gave answers that showed their wellbeing was improved by experiencing a variety of wildlife in the woodlands.

The researchers also looked at which woods have the best mood-boosting features in the UK, too.

How do woods improve wellbeing?

There has already been research showing that time spent in nature can be good for you, but it has been unclear as to what specific things in wildlife help to boost our mood.

Zoe Davies, one of the scientists leading the new study at the University of Kent, was keen to find out more.

She said: "While we know that spending time in natural environments can improve our health and wellbeing, we needed to know which species, or traits of species delivered these benefits."

The blue tit was found to have the most wellbeing benefits of woodland birds, followed by the blackbird and chaffinch

The report found that woodland sounds were the most likely to boost a person's mood, such as birds singing, leaves scrunching underfoot or trees rustling in the breeze.

Natural changes, like spring flowers appearing, triggered the second best wellbeing response, with the variety of textures, colours and smells in a woodland also showing as being good for how we feel.

Another key finding was that the weather didn't make a difference to how people responded to time in woodland, meaning a walk in the woods is good for us at any time of the year.

Which woods make us feel the best?

The silver birch tree was crowned top of the favourite woodland trees

The new research showed that woods with a rich variety in wildlife - which is something called biodiversity - are most likely to improve how people feel.

The researchers used this information to create a map of the UK, showing which woods were wellbeing hotspots.

The southeast of England, and around the Firth of Forth, and the Moray Firth, in Scotland were shown to be the best for biodiverse woodlands.

The Woodland Trust says more needs to be done to improve equal access to healthy woods across the UK.

Dr Jessica Fisher, from the University of Kent, said: "Society needs a much better balance of woodland to ensure we can all access the traits that are going to boost our mental health."