Think Well
Article

Boost your wellbeing - by being read to Many women will name curling up with a good book among the pastimes which help them to regain their mental wellbeing after a hard day.

However, there may be an even better way of relaxing than devouring the latest Jill Mansell romance or James Patterson thriller - by getting your other half to read it to you.

Research carried out by Carte Noire recently found that the tones men use when reading to their partners have a physical impact on the female brain, aiding relaxation and removing stress.

The survey found that seven out of ten men claim to regularly read to their wife or girlfriend, which increased to 81 per cent in Scotland, perhaps as a result of the famously soothing accent.

Among the most popular things for guys to read to their partners were romance novels, travel guides - presumably to allow her to dream about all the destinations she'd like to go to - and restaurant reviews, rather bizarrely.

While it may be a lovely idea, not every woman will be able to convince her partner to read out loud in the evenings.

So, what else could provide a similar effect in the brain when it comes to mental wellbeing?

Perhaps audiobooks could be another good place to start. A range of dulcet-toned celebrities now lend their voices to books on CD or MP3 and there are plenty to download onto smartphones these days.

Stephen Fry is well-known for the Harry Potter series, but for something a little more grown up, calm-sounding Patrick Stewart has also read selected Dickens novels onto CD.

However, if you're not really an audiobook person, perhaps traditional music could be a better mental boost.

RelaxandSleep.com names classical music as its most relaxing sound, with Waltzes by Strauss cited as particularly uplifting.

It also recommends New Age or tribal music for chilling out to, especially pieces featuring didgeridoos, flutes, harpsichords and chimes (but presumably not vuvuzelas).

And if you want to strip the sounds back even further, the website also recommends the sounds of babbling brooks and birdsong to calm the mind down.

Whether it's the sound of your loved one's voice or a CD full of blackbirds that you recruit to boost your wellbeing, it's worth a try, especially if it crowds out the noise of a hectic day ready for tomorrow.