There was an interesting article featured on the Scientific American website about the impact city noise is having on bird songs. Researchers discovered that white-crowned sparrows in city and urban areas sing songs in the higher frequencies, not at all like the same sparrow species found in the countryside that sing in the lower ranges. They found that the city birds changed their songs to these higher frequencies in order to be heard over the sounds of cars, buses, and other sources of noise found in these urban environments. While it’s a remarkable example of the ability of animals to adapt to certain changes in their habitat, the article also got me thinking about how our own behaviour is similarly influenced by the environment that surrounds us.

As is the case with birds, we take cues from our environment in not only how we communicate, but also what information we share. Looking at the kinds of behaviour and conversations we have with our friends in a social setting, we see that it’s quite different from what we present in our workplace. But what is less obvious is the fact that even our mood and our perceptions are influenced Click here to continue reading »”Changing our Behaviours – A Lesson From the Birds”