Therapeutic sounds of a campfire

It's going to be a long winter... We need to get ready ;) When it's cold outside, nothing compares to the pleasure of sitting by a cozy fire.

But why does it make us feel so much better?
Here's how scientists have answered it. A randomized study in full compliance with the principles of evidence-based medicine, and all that.

Ancient people who were more inclined to relax around a fire probably got more benefit and pleasure from it, were more willing to participate in such "social interaction". And that gave them a survival advantage. On the contrary, those who didn't like relaxing by the fire became extinct. Like dinosaurs, mammoths and Neanderthals.

It turns out that sitting by the fire actually causes various physiological changes. For example, it lowers blood pressure. What is interesting, it doesn’t even have to be a real fire! A simple video is enough, and if you add a characteristic sound of crackling firewood, it would be even better.

I need to share a little scientific detail. The importance of fire in human evolutionary history is widely recognized, but its effects are not fully understood. They include a flickering light, a distinctive crackling sound, heat, and a distinctive smell.

For ancient people, fire prolonged the day and kept them warm, helped to hunt and ward off predators and insects, lit dark places, and helped with cooking. The fire also induced social behavior (everyone gathered around the fire) and caused a relaxing effect.

Scientists conducted an interesting experiment. A randomized cross-sectional study was conducted to separately examine the different sensory properties of fire on blood pressure in 226 adult subjects.

Three groups were studied: the first group watched a video of fire without sound, the second group watched a video of fire with sound, and the third group was a control group.

Before and after the experiment, the subjects had their blood pressure measured. Additionally, they were tested for hypnableness, absorption, and prosociality.

Absorption is a characteristic of personality. An individual's susceptibility to special states of consciousness (hypnosis, drugs, meditation).
Prosocial behavior is the behavior of an individual that is oriented toward the good of social groups. This is the opposite to antisocial behavior.

A study showed a permanent decrease in blood pressure when observing a fire without sound. The longer the stimulus lasted, the stronger the effect. And absorption and prosociality levels increased at the same time.

The results confirmed that the fireplace and campfire induced relaxation as a result of an interaction of factors: action on different senses, distraction, and social interaction. The enhancement of relaxation ability in the human social brain most likely went through a form of feedback involving these and other factors.

How can we benefit from this beautiful scientific theory? When you're sad or wistful, there's a great way to make things right. If you have a fireplace, real or electric, just sit down and enjoy it. If you don't have a fireplace, turn on this video and relax. It works great, it's proven.

Tthere's something else to add: invite a good friend to the fire, pour a glass of mulled wine. As a result, you're guaranteed a delightful evening. Science and thousands of years of evolution are on your side, and no saber-toothed tiger can spoil it.

Conduct your own experiment right now! Turn the video on and relax.