Four benefits of entering rain

From di unique smell wey rain get to di negative ions wey e dey release, rain get plenty benefits for our body – especially for our mood.

Afta decades wey dem dey study di elements of rain potential mood-boosting abilities, scientists don find some good proof to support am. And no be di only benefit of rain: research also show say rain dey remove harmful substances from di air, while di the sharp smell fit even help us ginger our memories.

Di serotonin boost

Di main reason fit be say rain dey release negative air ions – na oxygen molecules wey get extra electron, wey dey form wen raindrops collide or hit surface come split. For high level, dem dey known to boost serotonin and alpha waves in di brain, wey go make you dey happier and more relaxed.

Wen raindrops hit di ground, dem fit scata and release negative ions into di air – na di process wey dem dey call Lenard. So if you dey hope to get sizable dose of serotonin-boosting negative ions, try waka for rainstorm. Just make sure say you go inside if you see lightning – na for safety.

Some scientists believe say dis positive effects fit dey becos of di negative air ions wey dey increase oxygen level for blood, wey go boost your mood like wetin you go feel from serious exercise.

However, e still dey unclear wetin really dey hapun wey dey cause dis effects. Pam Dalton, wey be cognitive scientist for Monell Chemical Senses Center for Pennsylvania, US, tok say dem never really know why negative ions dey cause mood change as well as fatigue, cardiovascular status and blood pressure.

"While e dey intriguing, no much consensus dey on di physiological benefits, and not much dey about di possible mechanisms by which di negative ions go cause all dis effects," she tok.

Studies into di effects of how negative ions fit affect mood start in di 1950s, though results no clear until 1990s wen beta high-voltage ionisers wey dey more efficient in producing negative ions become available.

For one notable study wey hapun for 1995, researchers find say pipo wey get seasonal affective disorder (Sad) and wey use high-voltage ionisers daily show more improvement for dia symptoms pass pipo wey use low-output treatment.

According to Columbia University Professor Michael Tehan wey lead di study, heavy rain dey produce negative air ions wey be like di one wey im team dey use. E note, though say no study don show am directly or link time wey pesin dey for rain wit mood changes.

Di cleaner air

Rain dey bring negative ions wey fit help clear di air from dust, pollution and allergens, making am easier to breathe. Dis one fit really affect your mood and health becos wen air no clean, e dey cause anxiety and fit bring more serious mental health disorder, so e make sense say cleaner air go fit promote di opposite.

"Dem get some good evidence say negative ions fit clear dust, bacteria, allergens, and oda particles from di air, for many pipo, e fit get effect on respiratory health," Dalton tok.

just how well negative ions dey clean no too clear until about decades ago. For one study in 2015, researchers do study on a small scale, by pumping different particle mata inside one glass chamber wey dey generate raindrops.

Afta di raindrops don evaporate, researchers collect di remaining particles, as dem note dia position to determine weda di raindrops don attract dem.

Dem find say smaller raindrops dey really good at attracting dis airborne particles.

Wen raindrops fall to di ground, dem dey "sweep" tiny airborne particles wey dey follow dem, Dan Cziczo wey be co-author of di study tok and professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences for Purdue University for Indiana, US. Di electrical charge (di ions) inside raindrop dey act like magnet for dis particles, resulting in sweeping-up process wey dem dey call coagulation.

Cziczo say e be like wetin dey hapun wen construction workers dey spray water for dusty site; di dust go fall back to di ground, and di air go clean.

Di rain level matter too. "Di heavier di rain, di more cleaning effect you go get for di atmosphere," Cziczo tok. Dis include reducing di amount of positive air ions, wey dey cause irritability and high anxiety.

So next time heavy rain fall, you fit consider to open your window just afta e stop. You go notice say di air go clear, and if e follow cold come (as heavy rains dey usually do), di wind fit carry some of dat clean air enter your house, make di air quality better.

Di memory-enhancing smell

Rain smell fit also get psychological impact. Dem dey call am petrichor, dis odour dey come out from ground afta storm and e dey strong and earthy, but e still get clean vibe.

"Petrichor dey hapun wen rain release aerosols from ground," Phil Stevenson, wey be professor of plant chemistry for University of Greenwich tok. E dey lead work wey concern plant and fungus traits for Kew Gardens for UK. "During dry season, organic molecules from plants, animals and soil dey gather for surface. Wen rain drop strike, dis molecules – wey include volatile plant oils – dey scatter into airborne particles."

Di "clean" smell na becos of ozone, wey rainstorm fit pull down to earth. Anoda part of di smell wey dey come from geosmin, one chemical compound wey actinomycete bacteria dey produce as dem dey form spores for soil.

"Rain dey free the spores and geosmin, wey dey create di familiar 'first-rain-after-drought' smell, wey dey noticeable for warm seasons," Stevenson tok.

Dis one fit explain why humans dey sensitive to am – even more sensitive pass as sharks dey to blood. Scientists hypothesise say we evolve to understand say petrichor signify di renewed abundance of fresh water, wey fit help our ancestors feel safe and calm.

Sabi pipo say dis smell dey cause different changes for alpha and beta wave activity for brain, wey dey linked to calm, relaxed state.

And thanks to im uniqueness and how dramatically e fit change environment, rain fit also be strong nostalgia trigger.

"Sensory experience like di smell of rain wey dey come or after rain fall fit become di backdrop or context wey attach to our memories of many different places or emotions," Dalton wey don study di psychological importance of smell, tok.

Any smell, she tok, fit activate di amygdala, di part of brain wey dey responsible for processing emotions and emotionally significant memories. Na dat connect for our emotional core na why memories wey dey associated wit smell be like say e dey stick for di brain and remain very clear. So, weda you perceive say rain dey smell good or bad e no matter; na di context wey you take experience dat smell na im dey make am affect you. So, just take small sniff di next time wey rain fall from open window or during post-rain waka and see wetin go come back from long-ago moments.

Di relaxing sound

E no be only to smell and breathe rain go make us dey feel good; na to hear am too. Na why you go often see rain tracks for sound machines. Steady rain fit reduce cortisol level, wey go give you a calm sense, as well as say e go block noise wey dey disturb.

"Water sound dey activate parasympathetic nervous system, wey dey help wit relax and recovery," Amy Sarow, wey be clinical audiologist for Southfield, Michigan, tok. "When dis system dey active, we fit see physiological effects like lower heart rate and reduced stress responses."

One recent study show say rain sound dey effective within di 40 to 50 decibel range (na soft, gentle rainfall), e fit lower stress levels reach 65%. Heavy rain, wey fall for lower brown noise frequency, fit make pesin feel more grounded Sarow tok. And e dey drown out sounds wey dey disturb, dey help promote sleep.

Both levels dey calm; Sarow tok say e dey depend on wetin pesin like. "If pesin dey listen to dis sounds as part of relaxation routine, e fit begin to feel like mindfulness or meditation practice, wia di sound dey serve as anchor for attention and relaxation."