Being woken up during the middle of the night isn’t usually something I’d be grateful for – but when I woke to the sound of falling rain beating on my window last night, I was more than happy.

After weeks spent tossing and turning in a hot, stuffy bedroom, it was nice to feel the fresh air that the rain brought with it. But that wasn’t the only reason why I was happy to hear the rain. In fact, my pleasure came from that exact detail – the sound of the rain falling.

When I expressed my happiness about the rain to my colleagues this morning, I quickly learned I’m not alone in this feeling. Whether or not you’re a pluviophile – the word used to describe people who love rain – there’s no denying that listening to the sound of raindrops pitter-pattering is seriously soothing. But why is this?

How to relax: why listening to the sound of falling rain is so soothing